Omar Onsi

Omar Onsi, 1901–1969, in Arabic عمر أنسي, a pioneer of modern painting in Lebanon,^[1] is Lebanon's most renowned impressionist painter.^[2]

Onsi was born in Beirut. His father, a general practitioner, had been one of the first Beirut Muslims to study modern Western medicine^[3] and his mother came from the prominent Sunni Muslim family Salam.^[1] After an attempt to study medicine,^[4] Onsi studied painting in Beirut with Khalil Saleeby.^[5] From 1922 to 1927, he travelled to Transjordan, where he taught painting and English to the children of King Abdullah.^[5] The discovery of the desert and its colours during this stay had a major influence on his work.^[5][6] In 1928, Onsi went to Paris to continue his training and stayed for 3 years, attending the Académie Julian^[7] and different workshops.^[5] During that period, Onsi focused on painting portraits, nudes, and Parisian scenery.^[8] In 1933, he returned to Lebanon, bringing back a colorful impressionist palette^[9] and a French second wife.^[8] From then on, his work focused on the Lebanese landscape.^[8] After his death in 1969, he became one of Lebanon's best-known artists.^[10]

Bibliography

• Cyr, Georges (1950) (in French). Omar Onsi. Beirut: Murex. OCLC 229805154. 
• Harawi, Elias (1997) (in Arabic). عمر أنسي، ١٩٠١-١٩٦٩. Beirut: Musée Nicolas Sursock. OCLC 41121364. 

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Kassir, Samir; Debevoise, Malcolm; Fisk, Robert (2010). Beirut. University of California Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-520-25668-2. 
2. ^ "Lebanon - party of God". PBS. May 2003. http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/lebanon/facts.html. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
3. ^ Berque, Jacques; Chevallier, Dominique (1976). Les Arabes par leurs archives (XVI-XX siecles).. Centre national de la recherche scientifique. p. 197. ISBN 978-2-222-01836-0. 
4. ^ "عُمر الأنسي" (in Arabic). Yabeyrouth. http://www.yabeyrouth.com/pages/index735.htm. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Naef, Silvia (1996) (in French). À la recherche d'une modernité arabe: l'évolution des arts plastiques en Égypte, au Liban et en Irak. Slatkine. p. 160. ISBN 978-2-05-101376-5. 
6. ^ Omar Onsi : The gardener of epiphanies. Beirut: CREE. 1985. http://www.onefineart.com/en/artists/onsi/gardener_of_epiphanies2.shtml. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
7. ^ Mikdadi, Salwa. "Modern Art in West Asia: From Colonial to Post-colonial Period". Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wacp/hd_wacp.htm. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
8. ^ ^{a b c} "Omar Onsi". Art in Lebanon. http://www.artinlebanon.com/artists/omaronsi.html. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
9. ^ (in French) Consultation collective sur les problèmes contemporains des arts arabes dans leurs relations socio-culturelles avec le monde arabe. Unesco. December 1973. p. 4. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0000/000063/006362fb.pdf. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
10. ^ Alex Klaushofer (2007). Paradise divided: a portrait of Lebanon. Signal Books. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-904955-35-1. 

External links

• Paintings by Omar Onsi

Persondata
Name	Onsi, Omar
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1901
Place of birth
Date of death	1969
Place of death