An Egyptian Family

An Egyptian Family is a painting by Gazbia Sirry, an influential figure of Egyptian modernism who began her career during the height of the Nasserist government in the 1950s. Her immersion within the world of the working-class was a reminder of the impoverished reality faced by the majority in Egypt. At the time, Sirry was a member of the local Modern Art Group, which did not reject Western training in the Fine Arts. Instead, the group utilised it as a means of self-expression that is authentic to Egyptian identity within the period’s nationalist context.

Sirry’s portraits interlink her academic expertise with Egyptian heritage drawn from pharaonic and Coptic visual traditions. In this example, the two children posing in the foreground show the influence of ancient hieroglyphs, while the heavily lined eyes of all subjects resemble those featured in Coptic icons. Everyone but the baby, whose prominent ribs and spine indicate malnutrition, is depicted in simple traditional garments typical to the working-class of Egypt. These visual components allude to class struggle. Although the overall tone of the painting is bleak, the white dove symbolises a hope for peace during a time of intense change in Egypt’s political climate.