Amal Choucri cut the ceremonial ribbon from a wheelchair. It was the opening of her exhibition "Down Memory Lane and she had just come from the hospital where she would soon return for surgery, the remnants of an IV were still in her hand. This woman is as gallant as her colorful paintings. At 72, Choucri has an incredible amount of artwork to display. The paintings and drawings are a comprehensive collection completed over her amazing life. She says that this will be her last major showing alone. It's obvious that rounding up all 90 of her works was exhausting. "Down Memory Lane is a dedication to Choucri's late husband, Choucri Georges Catta. They were married for 40 years before he passed away in December 2005. "He was always helpful, she says. Even without her husband's help with this event and despite the artist's ailing health, Choucri is still painting with a steady hand. "I had quite a life, the artist recalls, "I did a lot. And it shows from the range of moods and subject matter. As her biography can tell you, Choucri is a Jill of all trades: a singer, Egyptologist, journalist and, above all else, an artist. "First I am a painter, then I am everything else, she said. And like a true artist, this collection proves that Choucri can achieve many styles. Her portraits, tucked away on the second floor of the exhibit with much of her older work, were sketched in pencil over 50 years ago. They are amazing in their detail and realism; but the more recent paintings express a whimsical approach to a subject the artist feels especially inspired by - Egypt. Choucri's paintings have been described as a reincarnation of pharaonic expression; and the current Cairo exhibit highlights this fact. Upon walking into the gallery, a kanun (psaltery) was heard playing softly from a corner. The paintings exhibited on the ground floor present layers of vivid strokes that form lotus flowers, scarabs and hieroglyphic symbols. Still, in the painting's dedication to ancient methods, there is an inviting mix of the familiar with something new. Even though the artist was born in 1934, the paintings have a modern flare as if done by an urban-bred youth. Choucri is not concerned with whether or not they fit your artistic taste. When asked what it's like to be on the receiving end of criticism (after a career as a music critic), the confident woman responded, "At my age, you really don't care anymore. Choucri's work displays this air of freedom from other people's opinions. She's content, it seems, to have this phase complete and is ready to move on to something else. One would assume that there are scores of art students looking for mentorship under Amal Choucri's tutelage, or that there were at least a few emulating this seasoned artist's style; but she says it isn't so. "They don't seem to be interested, she says of the young artistic community's involvement in her work, "I wish there were. From the turnout at this opening night in the Cairo Opera House's Main Gallery, Choucri clearly has many admirers. Yet this undeniable talent and accomplished world citizen is so unique, she has yet to meet a protégé.
