Said Elatab and his daughter

Said Elatab is an Arab American visual artist born in Bierut, Lebanon. He came to the United States in 1979 as a young aspiring artist hoping to make achievements as great as his role model, the famous Khalil Gibran- (writer, poet and visual artist).

By the tender age of 15, Said's interest in visual art became more of his obsession. He studied the works of great artists such as Van gogh and Picasso. Van Gogh's works so impressed the artist that he painted the starry night in Jerusalem to show his admiration for the great work. Said says " The one that inspired me the most was Van Gogh. He was a miserable artist. He received great failures in the pursuit of his fame. Unfortunately he sold only one piece of art before he died and never got any rewards of being famous. Another artist I admire very much is Francis Bacon. An artist who lasted through 6 decades. He too, died a miserable artist, a homo sexual, an alcoholic. Before committing suicide, he was able to leave behind many famous works of art, such as the one called "Crucifixion". I want to paint with passion always."
It took a few years for said to develop his art and making his style. His style has a middle eastern influence combined with the influence of his role models. Like Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Said became affixed with the face of his love, which reflects in some of his paintings. His passion to express pain of this relationship is represented in some of his best works. His world revolved around his muse, and his loved ones. The angst of losing ones dear ones is when a person comes closer to the concepts of detachment. Some of his beautiful works were lost forever like the loss of one's precious part of soul, in such a state...
The human plight around also makes itself visible in some of said's works on the corona pandemic. The artist has been working for around 45 years by now. His works are exhibited in the galleries of United States and Lebanon. Said also worked as a war photographer during the Civil War in Lebanon and the war in Afghanistan. He also became a photographer for Paparazzi. He now has turned to his passion for oil paintings.

Choice for Curator's Pick: The pleasures and turmoils the artist saw and endured in his life plays a hide and seek in the subjects of his painting. It has a masculine expression of woman's feelings/expressions. Sensuality too pops up in a few of the works. But apart from all this, the strength in which the artist stood up during adversities and lives ... This exhibition is also meant as a memoir for his children, especially to his brave Amar Elatab. 

Article on Said Elatab, by Bindu P V in the Malayalam Monthly Magazine, 'Prasadakan'