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 Antoine
Halim El Hachem
I. Biography
Born: June 1st 1955.
Occupation: Artist in Sculpture innately and professionally.
- I
started my profession at the age of 8 by the encouragement of my
parents and my art teacher.
- I entered my tertiary studies in General Mechanics and Industrial
drawings which helped my artistic nature to mature.
I discovered
the depth of my love for this profession, and thus started my road
as an artist and sculptor.
-When the war started in 1976, I went to Brazil, taking with me
some drawings of Lebanon and the countryside. I caught the attention
of my Lebanese patriots, so I continued to study the types of stones
in Sao Paulo. I sculptured the rocks.
I discovered there into things that represent Lebanon, such as the
Cedars and other folkloric items.
- I put the things I created on exhibition in a Lebanese club in
Sao Paulo in 1978. I was greatly encouraged by the Lebanese people
there to the extent that everything sold out.
- I also participated in many exhibitions both personal and with
other artists also which included sculpturing and mosaics.
- The joint exhibitions for Sculpturing and Mosaics in Lebanon were:
- 1979 - Mackhoul Street
- 1983 and 1984 - Ghazir High School
- 1994, 95 & 96 - “The stairs of Artists” in Gemayzeh
- 1997 - Beit Mery
- 2000 - Held by the Education Minister in Down town Beirut
- 2001 & 2002 - Tourism Ministry Hall - Al Hamra
- 2003, 2004 & 2005 - Held by the American embassy in Rotana
- Jevinor Center
- Personal Exhibitions:
- 2003 - In association
with Lions International in UNESCO hall under the name “Nature in
the mirror of an artist”.
- I also have a full time exhibition in Konnabet - Broummana
- I also worked with the artist Ghaleb Aoun in Saida on murals for
renovating the city
- Other Works:
- 1990 - An altar for the Notre Dame church in Ghazir
- 1991 – An altar for the Notre Dame church in Zouk Mikhael
- Many other sculptures and mosaics in many other towns and churches.
My latest works focused on the Lebanese traditions and Phoenician
ships scrolls and vessels with fish fossils that I put to enhance
its beauty.
Altars in Lebanese churches
All these things
are in an ongoing exhibition for tourists in Jbeil.(Byblos)
- Awards:
- A medal from the Tourism Industry
- Letter of appreciation from the American Embassy for the Rotana
exhibition.
The
Birth of Rocks by Tony El Hachem:
Our country
has been rich in rocks since the beginning of time. Our volcanoes
spewed lava and after cooling down formed many coloured stones throughout
the years. It was rescued from nothing to existence differing in
types and colours as we humans differ from each other.
Stones have
natural colours like beige, white, yellow, black and red as humans
and nature do. Marble and Granite spoke in the many different languages
of the earth, reflecting in the mirror of the creator.
Stones have
entered churches for holiness and sacred designs for burial sites,
headstones and fortresses, and is still a witness to the past and
present and will always be ageless, always staying young, preserving
it’s beauty, even when hidden under the soil of the earth.
I have taken from your dust a balm for my soul and my wounds.
After the birth
of the rock, I form you with my chisel. You remain an inspiration
to me and represent me as I am. You refuse forgery, you are faithful
and eternal as the fingerprints always unchangeable. I kiss you
and approve of my achievements, since you will remain even after
my son and my grandchildren, to speak of me, you are my ambassador
to all countries, being true to my will even after I die.
My
view as an Artist in this day and age:
Where is true
art in these days of computer programming? They sculpture statues
and dyes it artificially by the art of computers. It stands as a
barrier between a faithful artist and true emotions who can sign
is name on his creations, but a computer can’t sign it’ own art
and is not acceptable in museums.
Art has become
only for commercial gain and doesn’t represent our rich heritage
to be a witness to future generations of our artistic past.
The preferred
language between the nations was the hieroglyphics, and cavemen
used to draw murals in caves about symbols, but for these, they
would not have been remembered.
The Art of Mosaics
started in Phoenician and the Roman times and was added to the Byzantine
church.
Nature is a
mobile pharmacy, with its green veil, it lives in desolate houses,
plants a tree in it’s midst after it’s sandy roof has disappeared,
it replenishes it’s stolen rights with the wind as it’s source.
What is nature for us? We cut trees and burn the forests, but it
has overcome and it has returned it’s greenness after man frowned
on its existence. But nature soldiers on in its beauty because God
in an artist and through nature we can see his prints.
Corner of the studio of the artist
►► Some
of the artist's artwork
►► Meet the artist in Art Direct Sale!
Contact: editorial@onefineart.com
Phone: 961 3 328694 - 3 585619
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