top of page

SAMIR SAMMOUN

b. 1952

Samir Sammoun was born August 10, 1952 in Lebanon’s charming village Joun, which translates to “The place where the sea penetrates the land.” It was the emotionally charged evacuation of his village that led Samir, at the age of 13, to discover his passion for painting and drawing

 

“I still keep the vivid memory of this enchanting country of dreams where during the months of March and April the Spring-time fields are carpeted in blood-red poppies and in the autumn months we picked olives from the ancient groves with their ancient and twisted tree trunks.  I most cherish the memory of the vibrant vision of the rustling and teeming wheat fields ready for harvest.”

 

A great colorist by nature, Sammoun possesses a rich palette that features more than 30 shades and tones, providing the necessary foundation for his soft point and long-handled brushwork.  He routinely works on either a jute canvas (rough surface) or a linen canvas (smooth surface).

 

From an aesthetic point of view, Sammoun’s desired artistic goal is to render a natural texture on the canvas.  To achieve this, he practices his own techniques in applying layers of paint; superimposing colorful and vibrant touches, often using varying tones and blending different shades.  The use of successive and frequent brush strokes in this technique is what, more than anything else, distinguishes the Sammoun-esque style of painting.  At times these pronounced strokes produce vibrant variations of color that manifest themselves on the canvas, producing a fascinating iridescent effect.  Sammoun saturates his brush with different tones, which are circulated with powerful strokes using a side-to-side manner on his palette.   The multitude of rich color pigments stimulate the eye, projecting a glimmer of brilliant color variations.

bottom of page