Duroub art gallery in Garden City presents an exhiliarating exhibition of paintings significantly entitled, “Egyptian Visions”, by talented painter Mohamed Youssef. Scenes from the Islamic architecture is brilliantly depicted in his paintings mixing between the meticuleous motifs of Islamic architecture and the Egyptian faces. His palette of colours is very rich where he masterfully uses the different degrees of brown, orange, yellow, green and gold in blending the minarets of mosques with the crosses of the churches. Back to his style in visualising the Egyptian faces, you can feel the authenticity in their features. For instance, he paints a woman in medieval times when women used to cover their faces except their eyes with the yashmak (traditional veil) and decorate her neck with the kerdan (several layered necklace) as if the woman is a ghost from the past. The artist participated in a number of group exhibitions such as his duo exhibition with artist Mustafa Al-Razzaz in Holland in 1970 and held several solo shows as well. Graduated at the Faculty of Art Education in 1967, Youssef obtained a number of awards and certificates of recognition including among others the first prize in painting at «The Revolution Glories» exhibition in 1967 and the same prize at the Fourth Emirates exhibition in Abu Dhabi in 1988 as well as the painting prize from the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) in 1991. He displays his work at the ministries of education, tourism, culture in addition to the German Embassy and Cairo Confrences Hall. The exhibition is running through 20 February.
