Imad Habbab: Exploring Constructive Metaphorism
Walking into Habbab’s studio, I am immediately arrested by the sight of color and texture.
The room is a vibrant tapestry of hues, each painting a portal into a world where symbolism and meaning are weaved together by his brush. Each layer of oil paint is meticulously applied to create not only an artwork but an experience of depth and meaning. Everywhere I look, I see signs of the artist’s relentless dedication to his craft. His easel stands prominently in the center of the room, surrounded by an array of brushes and palettes smeared with vivid colors. Canvases in various stages of completion lean against the walls, each one offering a glimpse into the evolving process of creation.
The studio is not just a workspace; it is a living breathing entity where art comes alive. Plants thoughtfully placed throughout the studio offer a touch of greenery that complements Habbab’s naturalist themes. The light streaming through the windows bathes the studio in a warm glow, enhancing the rich colors of his work. As I wander through the studio, I am struck by the sense of passion and resilience that permeates the space. Each painting tells the story of Habbab’s journey from Damascus to Beirut, and finally to Istanbul. His work is a powerful testament to the human spirit, challenging superficial conventions and inviting viewers to explore deeper layers of meaning. His studio is more than just a gallery of beautiful art; it is a sanctuary where creativity and spirituality converge. Habbab does not only create paintings; he creates experiences that push the boundaries of what it means to be an artist.
Imad, a Syrian artist based in Istanbul, has dedicated himself to impressionist and metaphorical painting. He has exhibited his work all over the world, including in Dubai, Istanbul, Lebanon, and the United States. Over the past ten years, Habbab has defined the style of his work as what he calls Constructive Metaphorism. According to Habbab, Constructive Metaphorism is a visual composition methodology depicting the evolving symbiotic relationship between two or more entities, culminating in an overarching theme. This is done through a meticulous construction of meaningful images within his artwork. Through this deliberate arrangement of elements and symbolic imagery, Constructive Metaphorism allows for the conveyance of complex ideas and emotions. Each component of the artwork contributes to an overall narrative, enriching the viewer’s experience by guiding them through nuanced layers of interpretation. As viewers become immersed in the artwork, they become active participants in this unfolding of meaning, uncovering new insights with each encounter.
A Personal Manifesto
Habbab describes a seed of the concept first originating along the Mediterranean, during his time in Beirut in 2013, when he sat at the seaport staring at a nearly empty expanse of blue space; the deep blue of the sea fading into the sky starkly contrasted with the yellow of the busy crowded cityscape. The term itself was not initially defined; in fact, it took almost a decade for Habbab to fully materialize the concept. What ultimately became Constructive Metaphorism entails adding multiple layers of meaningful imagery by a trained eye. It skillfully depicts values of shadow and light to immerse the viewer in a unique multidimensional experience, something I personally witnessed in his studio. This form was a deliberate departure from the flat and vacuous commercial art he saw prevailing in the art scene- “artworks without a soul.” He was looking for value and tempo in his work that would make each artwork unique and meaningful. For Habbab, each start of a painting, though built on the same concept, must evolve into a different conclusion. He describes a procedure that reflects our eternal change and growth. The artwork, like the human and the city, is ever-evolving, never staying the same.
While greatly influenced by Impressionism, Habbab has endeavored to elevate the impressionistic abstract nature of the impasto brush stroke, transforming it into an entity that creates layers of meaning through multiple metaphors. Throughout his experience, he searched for ways to render deeper human meaning and spirituality in his work that he could not find in other forms of art. His pursuit of deeper moral meaning and mysticism led him to depart from more traditional artistic paths, e.g. Expressionism. This search was the catalyst that led him into the concept of Constructive Metaphorism.
In his series “Civilian Spectrums,” Habbab shows the relationship between the city and the human, conveying how each entity mutually shapes and defines the other, creating one another in their truest essence. Here, Habbab’s methodology, Constructive Metaphorism, explores the interconnectedness of the human and the city both historically and spatially, and the undeniable influence they have on each other. It encapsulates the perpetual nature of their existence, portraying the ongoing relationships between humanity and urban environments.
A Significant Shift: Five Levels of Metaphor
One of the most remarkable pieces of his series “Civilian Spectrums” is an artwork titled Cycle. In 2020, a global pandemic resulted in a having limited access to the city. This isolation urged Habbab to work at a slower tempo. The global severity of the situation, as well as his own health issues, led him to treat this artwork as his last. During the span of eight months, he depicted a gradual scale of the Turkish city, Istanbul, where he was based. Beginning with the Asian side of the city progressing toward the European side, Habbab slowly constructed each aspect of the painting to include timeless renowned buildings such as Haydarpasa Ferry Station, Beylerbei Palace, The Maiden’s Towers, Istanbul Bridge, Topkapi Palace, Serkici Train Station, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Beyazit Tower, Fener Rum Patriarchal Church, Salt Galata, and Galata Tower.
Habbab describes the artwork as consisting of five dimensions of metaphor: the city, the human, four seasons, a heart and a full circle. The piece is divided into four equal sections, each representing one of the four seasons through distinct color pallets. Within these segments, elements of buildings create a full circle centered on the iconic Galata Tower, complete with a sun at the top symbolizing the passage of time, and a hidden heart symbolizing love. The work culminates in a portrait created by the intricate labyrinth of aspects of the city. Within the artwork, Habbab was able to gradually escalate the metaphor to carry new levels of meaning that demonstrated the unique qualities of his style.
Three Levels of Metaphor: Siddhartha
In one of his most notable artworks, titled “Siddhartha,” created between 2022 and 2023, Habbab presents a visual interpretation of Herman Hesse’s renowned masterpiece, also titled “Siddhartha,” on a large canvas measuring 3 by 2 meters. In this artwork, Habbab maintained remarkable fidelity to the script by the famous German author in which he summarizes the nirvana attained by the protagonist Siddhartha. The artwork merges elements of the novel, seemingly melting them together within a well-crafted portrait, which acts as a reference to the meaning of this spiritual experience. The subtle yet undeniable presence of these elements hidden within the work shapes the character’s final moment of enlightenment.
In the novel Siddhartha, the author starts the final scene with Govinda, Siddhartha’s lifelong companion, having a vision of Siddhartha’s enlightenment. As Siddhartha invites Govinda to kiss his forehead, he begins to see a cascade of images unfold before him. Among them, he envisions a fish in a stream invoking a contemplation of the interconnectedness of all living things. He contemplates the carp fish with weary eyes, symbolizing the struggles of life. Habbab, similarly, places the fish as the right eye moving into the nose of the portrait. In the same way, the trinity of victim, murderer, and justice seen in the artwork, with justice symbolized by the sword piercing a skull, serves the composition. The murderer brandishes a sharp tool, thrusting it toward the victim. We see the victim raising their hand in the air in desperate defense, an act well hidden within the tonality and grand scale of the portrait. The portrait of the murderer found within the painting is ambiguously formed, emerging from the shape of the palm tree and the city-like scene next to the right eye. On the left side, Habbab shows lovers in a wild, frenzied, love evoking emotions of sensuality masterfully hidden within the shades of the left eye. Side by side in semi-abstraction, the images represent the binary of life and death.
In the artwork, we encounter the heads of various animals- the boar, elephant, crocodile, and bull. The boar symbolizes the challenges and suffering that led the protagonist to enlightenment. The elephant embodies the wisdom and grandeur of the natural world, while the crocodile symbolizes the temptations and dangers of worldly desires and the seductive insidious pleasures of materialism. The bull symbolizes the raw energy of life and the need for balance and harmony in the spiritual journey. With that, Habbab ingeniously incorporates a scene depicting a pivotal moment from the story: a boat with a broken oar, accompanied by a snake near the riverbank. This scene represents the transient nature of life with the broken oar pointing to obstacles one must face, and the snake representing renewal and transformation. The scene illustrates themes of resilience and the continual process of spiritual evolution. The portrait encompasses the gradual culmination of the protagonist’s challenges and experiences, symbolizing his journey towards discovering the meaning of life. Finally, in the painting Siddhartha, Habbab instills meaning in all work of shadow and light distribution in a manner that reminds us of the equilibrium found in the ancient Chinese symbol, Taijitu or the Yin Yang. The use of light and dark within the painting emphasizes the inter-connectedness and complementarity of seemingly opposing forces and interdependence of opposites.
As Habbab recounts, the levels of metaphor within the artwork can be understood as follows:
- All elements and images depicted from Hesse’s Siddhartha represent one dimension of the metaphor.
- The presence of the portrait, depicting the enlightenment “nirvana” of the human, constitutes a second dimension of metaphor.
- The balance of Yin Yang, as conveyed through colors of cobalt and yellow, represents the third dimension of metaphor.
Within the artwork, according to Habbab’s methodology, all the elements seamlessly merge, coalescing into a unified composition. Each image carries a unique meaning, ultimately contributing to the overarching theme of the artwork. What I found while visiting Habbab’s studio is that Constructive Metaphorism not only challenges the status quo of the art scene, it also challenges the passive relationship between viewer and artwork so prevalent today. Contrarily, it demands we become investigators of deeper meaning and spirituality by observing each aspect of the painting. Through Constructive Metaphorism, Habbab engages us by drawing us into exploration of the artwork, invoking an active participation in discovering the nuances of meaning within. Each piece invites us on a journey that slowly unfolds, creating an atmosphere conducive for aesthetic awakening.
Finally…
While sitting in his studio, Habbab delves into the intricacies of Constructive Metaphorism. He explains a methodology of painting where all elements converge within the artwork, creating a multilayered constructiveness that imbues his pieces with depth and meaning. The meticulous dedication and skill Habbab invests in each work ultimately culminates in a profound and captivating artistic expression. By focusing on constructing depth through the use of symbolic imagery, Habbab creates a seamless flow of meaning within his artistic compositions: a technique that engages the viewer in active participation with the artwork, inviting them on a journey through an ever-unfolding labyrinth of meaning and symbolism.
