La Fille à l’imprimé by Alexandrian artist Mahmoud Saïd depicts an unidentified Egyptian peasant woman (fellaha) wearing a flower-patterned dress and a black veil that covers her hair. This painting was praised by art critic Jean Moscatelli in his review of the XIX Salon du Caire exhibition in May 1939. Moscatelli wrote, "it is La Fellaha au voile noir [La Fille à l’imprimé] that stands out as a masterpiece and the most beautiful painting of the Salon. In addition to the face’s expression which is so mahmoudsaïdian, there is a pictorial area in the flowery and transparent black dress that emanates such a profound seductiveness that one cannot escape..." Her simple elegance, contemplative yet seductive gaze, and sharp Egyptian features, that resemble that of Ancient Egyptian representations of Akhenaton’s queen, the legendary Nefertiti, all stand out. With his ingenious play on light and mastering of color, Saïd depicts the young woman with her sun-kissed skin glowing amidst her black clothes and the dark background. Saïd draws our attention to her face, characterized by dark almond-shaped eyes, voluptuous lips and almost sculptural facial features. Her face emanates such sensuality and emotion, "such a profound seductiveness that one cannot escape" - as pointed out by Moscatelli - that she appears like a "femme fatale." At the same time, the traditional pose, with her hand holding her face, resonates melancholy and contemplation. Saïd uses the clever device of the sitter’s earring to capture a glimpse of light that directs the beholder’s eye to the sitter’s face. The woman is portrayed in her environment, with the Nile River flowing behind her and a stormy sky looming above her, yet her tight flowery dress is neither local nor Western. Saïd captures her during a pause at work - eternalizing that cherished moment of rest, peace and quiet, during which the young girl could temporarily escape her pre-destined life as a fellaha.

Fille à l’imprimé (Girl in a Printed Dress) by Mahmoud Saïd (Egyptian) - Oil on canvas / 1938 - Dalloul Art Foundation (Beirut, Lebanon) #womeninart #art #oilpainting #portraitofawoman #artwork #MahmoudSaïd #fineart #MahmoudSaid #portrait #womensart #femmefatale #EgyptianArt #DalloulArtFoundation

A woman with long curl-woven blond locks plus exaggerated facial features like bright red lips, wide grin, large oval eyes, and raised thin eyebrows engages viewers in 1/4 portrait while wearing a bare shoulder low-cut fancy dress with thin colorful straps. She stands outdoors under palm trees in front of an Arabian cityscape. Saïd’s depictions of women, often drawn from his social circles, reveal stark contrasts, especially in the portrayal of their hair. Notably, aristocratic women appear perfectly coiffed with an airbrushed quality, while models from more modest backgrounds are rendered with unkempt hair, emphasis placed on their coils and curls. The most emblematic of these instances is this famous painting as the golden locks are THE subject of the painting. The significance of hair as a historical marker of status and identity is key to understanding how Saïd's representations contribute to the power dynamics at stake. An emblematic figure of the Arab Renaissance (Nahda) and its pioneers, Mahmoud Saïd abandoned his law studies in Egypt to go to Paris where he joined the Julian Academy in 1920. Following the independence of Egypt in 2022, he sought, alongside other Egyptian artists such as Mahmoud Mokhtar or Georges Hanna Sabbagh, to create an Egyptian art both authentic and modern, anchored in a process of intellectual emancipation. In 1937, during the International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques Applied to Modern Life, this painting was exhibited in the Egyptian pavilion, which wanted to show continuity between its pharaonic past and its industrial present. Though Saïd painted primarily for his own edification, the pubic grew to appreciate his work in his later years. Artists belonging to the Egyptian Surrealist movement adopted Said as an honorary member and included his work in a few exhibits, selecting his famous painting, La Femme aux boucles d'or "The Woman with Golden Locks" for the cover of their first exhibition catalogue in 1940.

The woman with golden Locks (La femme aux boucles d'or) by Mahmoud Saïd (Egyptian) - Oil on canvas / 1933 - Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris (France) #womeninart #portrait #painting #art #egyptianartist #MahmoudSaïd #artwork #oilpainting #MahmoudSaid #ModernArtMuseum #modernart #fineart #womanportrait