All in the cards

By Rehab Saad
Mohamed El-Shimi's name may not be familiar to everybody, but if a desperate search for Christmas cards has left you weary and downcast, thirsting for something a tad more original than yet more snowmen, Santas, sleigh bells and reindeer -- something authentic, say -- then it is a name you would do well to remember. For savvy shoppers, El-Shimi's name is synonymous with original, affordable art and Egyptian themes -- all in a convenient greeting-card format. "I'm bored of the typical cards available on the market," says Maha Hussein, a frequent customer. "El-Shimi's are really special. When you send them to people abroad you give them an idea about your country and its history and they are really appreciated."
The cards can be grouped according to theme: they feature Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic monuments, vignettes of life in the oases, the desert, rural life, crafts, flora and horses. These may sound like fairly typical themes -- but El-Shimi's cards are still a little different from the other offerings available. Why? Simply because he draws most of his subject matter from his imagination -- besides his studies of Egyptian history, people and places -- and uses his talent to create the images he sells.
Yet Mohamed El-Shimi -- or Dr El-Shimi, as he is known to his long-time customers -- is not a professional artist. He was trained as a veterinarian, whose main forays into art consisted of anatomical sketches. He graduated with honours from Cairo University's faculty of veterinary medicine in 1956, and was then appointed as a professor, but he decided to become an artist instead. "I loved art from the beginning and wanted to study it, but my father wanted me to study medicine. My mother encouraged me to pursue a career in art, but my father refused," he said.
Having obtained his degree in medicine after graduation, he joined the Leonardo da Vinci Institute of Fine Arts and obtained a diploma, then went on to the Academic Centre for Audiovisual Aid in Berlin and obtained a diploma in 1972. El-Shimi obtained two other diplomas from Cairo University, one in Islamic art and architecture and the other in Pharaonic art.
Even his studies in veterinary medicine have come in handy, however, since he is an expert in drawing animals, especially Arabian horses and birds. He has drawn upon his studies of Pharaonic and Islamic art to extoll the beauty of Islamic Cairo, Egyptian artisans and their handicrafts, Thebes, Cairo's mediaeval houses, as well as the Coptic churches and monasteries of Egypt.
"I have travelled extensively through every part of Egypt. I stayed in Siwa, for example, for two months and half, and drew it all. I did the same in Fayoum, Luxor, Aswan and Edfu," El-Shimi says. "I consider Saqqara to be the best part of the country, and that shows in my work on Saqqara," he adds.
El-Shimi does not simply render a scene or a monument with an eye to realistic details; he often gives his imagination free reign, reproducing a Pharaonic scene from a temple wall, for instance, and then including a drawing, from his own imagination, of girls playing drums.
"Sometimes I use my readings and conjure up an entire scene," he explains. "From my readings about the Mameluke era I was able to draw the harem, the bazaar and parties, all purely imaginary. I also painted an imaginary scene of Abu Simbel at the time of the Pharaohs, the visit of Julius Caesar to Egypt, and Cleopatra's procession down the Nile," he says.
El-Shimi's downtown showroom, Encart Shimi, is an inconspicuous little shop. If you are not looking for it, you may not even notice it. Inside, you will probably find Dr El-Shimi, who will help you choose a card from several different catalogues. He is also willing to talk about every single card, detailing its background and history.
Inside, you will also find many oil paintings depicting life in Egypt, and elaborately framed. El-Shimi also specialises in framing, and offers a variety of options, from the ornate gilt Louis-Farouk to simple, stylised modern versions.
El-Shimi's work is displayed in hotels across the country, and in several Egyptian embassies abroad. "Unfortunately," he says, "my children have not inherited my talent. My daughter studied statistics and my son has a degree in hotel management. Still, he helps me run the business."
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