Dr. Prof. Said Heddaya (1937 - 2017)
A prominent figure of the Egyptian visual Art Movement and a senior graphic artist.
- He was born in Alexandria in 1937 and joined the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria in 1958, two years after it was established. He was taught by several senior artists, such as Seif Wanli, AdhamWanli, Abdullah Gohar, Gamal El-Seginy, Hamed Ewis, Maher Raef, Mariam Abdul-Alim, etc. Their guidance and experience greatly influenced Heddaya’s intellectual and emotional growth.
- During his academic years, Said Heddaya was known for his remarkable flow of expression, which was full of feelings and artistic sensations. Hamed Neda and Maher Raef were two artists by whom Heddaya was influenced in these faculties of expression, especially their first themes when they were a part of the Egyptian contemporary art cohort. Most of these themes were inspired by the folkloric customs and traditions.
The artist received an MA from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria University in 1972. Then he went to Italy in a scholarship and obtained a PhD from the Italian University of Urbino in 1978. During his stay in Italy, the artist participated in many exhibitions.
Artist Said Heddaya took part in tens of local and international group exhibitions. His works were listed in the International Encyclopedia of Engraving in Japan and the National Egyptian Encyclopedia of Prominent Figures.
His works were preserved as official collections in more than one authority, such as the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Alexandria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture.
On the international level, his works were preserved in art museums in Jordan, Qatar, the Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, and England.
The museum is pleased to procure three artworks by the veteran artist, among which is the artwork named (Good Morning), which was made when he was a teaching assistant, along with two other artworks: Of Folklore (made in 1996) - A Vessel (made in 1998)
References:
(Artist’s Biography - Fine Arts Sector)
(Panorama of the Egyptian Graphics Art in the Twentieth Century)
© 2020
Artist Said Heddaya tended to choose the themes he was inclined to. Each printmaking artwork he created had its own story and significance. Therefore, his themes were highly subjective, showing sincere expression of a reality he lived and connected to. Heddaya believed that each artwork he created had its own artistic features, but he generally tried to base most of his printmaking artworks on colors, including even the artworks he created using the intaglio printing technique. This is because he felt the colors had a great role and impact on the artwork. Even in his printmaking artworks (black and white), Heddaya always tried to portray the colors in a way. Using and expressing colors was very satisfying to him. To him, colors were actually an expressive characteristic added to the basics of visual art and expression in his works. Sometimes he chose the simplest colors with their purity and significance, without any addition or mixing; in some of his artworks, primary colors like yellow and red are found to have played an important role in adding an expressive faculty to the theme. In other cases, he often mixed his transparent colors to ultimately produce an exceptional harmony and a lively sensory mix of his own.
Dr. Prof. Hamed Ewis
Sabah El-Kheir Magazine
Visual Artist of Pure Innocence
- He successfully invested his technical skills in “printmaking,” which he mastered during his scholarship in Italy, to portray a world comprising pure innocence and Egyptian folkloric tales with their mythical nature and folkloric symbols. Therefore, he connected with the characteristics of childhood and magic in the cultures that have an embedded mythological nature. He smoothly and spontaneously created a painting that shows simple elements on the surface but underneath holds a complex structure void from the artistically unnecessary flaunting and boasting. This qualified him to hold a significant status in international art encyclopedias. It is Dr. Said Heddaya from Alexandria, a senior graphic artist who was awarded yesterday at the opening ceremony of the General Exhibition of Visual Art for his achievements in the visual art field.
“Heddaya” is one of the visual artists who resolved the issue of balancing the Egyptian identity with the European Modernism. He succeeded in solving this difficult equation without giving up the contemporary modern values there because he was influenced by the experiments and creations of the Egyptian art pioneers who expressed this inheritance decades before. In his paintings, the folkloric sense dominates the sceneries. Maybe his colors and compositions escape the frame to shine on the exhibition wall, or maybe this is how the audience sees them, given the deep concentration that overwhelms those who view the painting.
“Heddaya's” paintings bring together shared memories of all Egyptians: from childhood, youth, and the past. His non-realistic exceptional style in planning and implementing unlocked vast horizons.
Al-Dostor Newspaper: 21-9-2017
“A Mermaid, a Piece of Heaven”
The beautiful city of Alexandria has long been the origin of beauty in the ancient and modern world. Since the Great Alexander built it, Alexandria has been embracing various cultures. In other words, it is a cosmopolitan. In its neighborhoods, mythologies spread, which originated from oral storytelling and reflected on the visual art in Abdel-Hadi El-Gazzar's works. Continuing the journey of El-Gazzar and his fellow artists in Alexandria, Said Heddaya’s star shone, the artist who passed away yesterday at the age of 80, and who was awarded by the Finearts Sector at the 39th General Exhibition this year, along with four leading artists of the Egyptian visual art movement.
- The Egyptian folkloric neighborhood is the reason why Naguib Mahfouz became an international writer. The exact same goes for “Said Heddaya”, the artist who was awarded at the 39th General Exhibition along with four leading artists of the Egyptian visual art movement, including Dr. Said Heddaya. In this regard, “Albawabah” sheds light on his career:
- Said Hafez Mahmoud Heddaya, known as Said Heddaya, was born in Alexandria in 1937. He went to Cairo and took his BA of Fine Arts. Then he headed to Italy where he received an MA then PhD from the University of Urbino, Italy in 1978.
- In Said Heddaya’s paintings, the folkloric culture dominates all sceneries. His colors and compositions escape the frame to shine on the exhibition wall, or maybe this is how the audience sees them, given the concentration that overwhelms those who view the painting. “Heddaya's” paintings bring together shared memories of all Egyptians: from childhood, youth, and the past. His non-realistic exceptional style in planning and implementing unlocked vast horizons. His paintings may have descended from Abdel-Hadi El-Gazzar’s movement, who was the philosopher of the folkloric mythology. His dim, bleak - and maybe realistic - colors could easily control the mood. One painting by Said Heddaya is considered as a complete project.
Wesam Zein El-Din
He successfully invested his technical skills in “printmaking,” which he mastered during his scholarship in Italy, to portray a world comprising pure innocence and Egyptian folkloric tales with their mythical nature and folkloric symbols. Therefore, he connected with the characteristics of childhood and magic in the cultures that have an embedded mythological nature. He smoothly and spontaneously created a painting that shows simple elements on the surface but underneath holds a complex structure void from the artistically unnecessary flaunting and boasting. This qualified him to hold a significant status in international art encyclopedias. It is Dr. Said Heddaya from Alexandria, a senior graphic artist who was awarded yesterday at the opening ceremony of the General Exhibition of Visual Art for his achievements in the visual art field.
“Heddaya” is one of the visual artists who resolved the issue of balancing the Egyptian identity with the European Modernism. He succeeded in solving this difficult equation without giving up the contemporary modern values there because he was influenced by the experiments and creations of the Egyptian art pioneers who expressed this inheritance decades before. In his paintings, the folkloric sense dominates the sceneries. Maybe his colors and compositions escape the frame to shine on the exhibition wall, or maybe this is how the audience sees them, given the deep concentration that overwhelms those who view the painting.
“Heddaya's” paintings bring together shared memories of all Egyptians: from childhood, youth, and the past. His non-realistic exceptional style in planning and implementing unlocked vast horizons.
“Heddaya” took his BA of Fine Arts from Cairo University. Then he headed to Italy where he received an MA then PhD from the University of Urbino, Italy. He was awarded many local certificates, medals, and awards, including certificates of appreciation from the exhibitions he took part in.
Said Heddaya organized many exhibitions to display the artworks he created in Italy. He also took part in tens of local and international group exhibitions. His works were listed in the International Encyclopedia of Engraving in Japan and the National Egyptian Encyclopedia of Prominent Figures. His works were preserved as official collections in more than one authority, such as the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Alexandria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture. On the international level, his works were preserved in art museums in Jordan, Qatar, the Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, and England. According to the Al-Dostor Newspaper.
Gamal Ashour
A story, a Color..
Said Heddya, the Artist Who Fell Into the Embrace of International Encyclopedias
- The Egyptian neighborhood is the reason why Naguib Mahfouz became international. The exact same goes for “Said Heddaya”, the artist who was awarded at the 39th General Exhibition along with four leading artists of the Egyptian visual art movement, including Dr. Said Heddaya. In this regard, “Albawabah” sheds light on his career:
- Said Hafez Mahmoud Heddaya, known as Said Heddaya, was born in Alexandria in 1937. He went to Cairo and took his BA of Fine Arts. Then he headed to Italy where he received an MA then PhD from the University of Urbino, Italy in 1978.
In Said Heddaya’s paintings, the folkloric sense dominates all sceneries. His colors and compositions escape the frame to shine on the exhibition wall, or maybe this is how the audience sees them, given the concentration that overwhelms those who view the painting. “Heddaya's” paintings bring together shared memories of all Egyptians: from childhood, youth, and the past. His non-realistic exceptional style in planning and implementing unlocked vast horizons. His paintings may have descended from Abdel-Hadi El-Gazzar’s movement, who was the philosopher of the folkoric mythology. His dim, bleak - and maybe realistic - colors could easily control the mood. One painting by Said Heddaya is considered as a complete project.
Artist Said Heddaya organized ten exhibitions to display the artworks he created in Italy. He also took part in tens of local and international group exhibitions. His works were listed in the International Encyclopedia of Engraving in Japan and the National Egyptian Encyclopedia of Prominent Figures. His works were preserved as official collections in more than one authority, such as the Museum of Modern Egyptian Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Alexandria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture. On the international level, his works were preserved in art museums in Jordan, Qatar, the Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus, and England.
Said Heddaya was also awarded many local certificates, medals, and awards, including a certificate of appreciation from the “Art 83” Exhibition, the Oscars Medal for “Graphics Art” in the Twentieth Century and Future Prospects Exhibition in 1994, and the Faculty of Art Education Museum for Visual Arts medal in 2000.
He also received many international awards, including the “engraving” award at the International Engraving Exhibition in Spain; a certificate of appreciation from the 7th International Engraving Biennial in Norway; the Bonn Medal in Germany; a certificate of appreciation from the “20 Artists” Exhibition at the Bonn Media Office, West Germany; and the 2nd International Egyptian Triennial for Graphic Art Award.
- He was born in Alexandria and joined the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria in 1958, two years after it was established. There, he was taught by several senior artists, such as Seif Wanli, AdhamWanli, Abdullah Gohar, Gamal El-Seginy, Hamed Ewis, Maher Raef, Mariam Abdul-Alim, etc. Their guidance and experience greatly influenced Heddaya’s intellectual and emotional growth.
- During his academic years, Said Heddaya was known for his remarkable flow of expression, with its generous amount of feelings and artistic sensations. Hamed Neda and Maher Raef were two artists by whom Heddaya was influenced in these faculties of expression, especially their first themes when they were a part of the Egyptian contemporary art cohort. Most of these themes were inspired by the folkloric customs and traditions.
- Said Heddaya started printmaking with a distinctive expressive style that related to the state of his society, especially its folkloric side. Through his printmaking artworks, he tried to go deep into the Egyptian society. In this regard, the artist chose projects derived from the folkloric practices, customs, and traditions for his graduation project. He called them “Folkloric Customs and Traditions.” In this project, he tackled many themes, such as: The baby shower, Ka'ak al-Eid (traditional biscuits of the Al-Fitr feast) preparation process, marriage and funeral traditions, and some practices related to the folk areas in Alexandria, such as the sea turtle blood drinking custom and other practices and customs representing the real and true values of the folkloric class in Alexandria. In this graduation project, Heddaya decided on the colored relief technique using wooden molds. In this technique, he discovered a wide range of expression.
- Since his birth, Heddaya lived in Alexandria in a neighborhood that revered customs and traditions. It is the area of Sidi Bishr located near the beach. Thus, the artist combined the influence of the sea with what was happening on land, as that area was and still is the ancient birth place of Sidi Gaber, and in the past it was the version closest to the folkloric epics. It was vibrant with thousands of devotees, visitors, craftsmen, and strange game performers, in addition to the practices performed by some believers and many warlocks.
- In 1964, Said Heddaya was appointed in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria and took part in forming the first Egyptian Contemporary engraving art association. He also prepared his MA thesis in 1972 about “The Impact of Colors on Printmaking Artworks”... He then travelled to Italy in a scholarship and learned new techniques used in printmaking. He was given an opportunity to know about different art schools, but he held into the Egyptian origins in his character and expressive themes. He was influenced by the western fashion only in the techniques and methods of processing.
- During his stay in Italy, Heddaya took part in many group exhibitions. His works achieved remarkable success, which encouraged him to continue. He created a large number of printmaking artworks using the etching technique, the wooden mold technique, and the silk screen technique. At that time, his artworks were distinguished in that they were strongly relatable to the Egyptian environment and full of symbols inspired by the literary heritage, such as tales, legends, mythologies, etc. We see him using horses to symbolize goodness and courage. He also used birds in almost every printmaking artwork he created and used fish to symbolize fertility. He used the sea to express different feelings of tranquility, fluctuation, rage, and mystery, as well as the mermaid and its lovely and bizarre shapes, which relate to many coastal city legends.
- Artist Said Heddaya kept expressing through highly subjective themes that sincerely express a reality he lived and connected to. Colors became a main feature in most of his printmaking artworks. To him, colors were actually an expressive characteristic added to the basics of visual arts, which enhanced expression in his works. Sometimes he chose the simplest colors with their purity and significance, without any addition or mixing; he does that using primary colors like yellow, blue, and red. In other cases, he often mixed his transparent colors to ultimately produce harmony and a romantic touch to his printmaking works.
- Said Heddaya is considered one of the first Egyptians who used colors in printmaking using the metal plate drilling technique, with zinc for example, as if he was using the relief technique, despite the great effort that these works required, especially given the modest capabilities and simple materials available at that time.
- The artist also used the linoleum Lion Cut technique, where he found an inexhaustible selection of overlapping color effects mixed with a harmonious linear effect. The precise drilling tools played a role in achieving this harmony, which added value and an expressive dimension that can only be obtained through that material and in that same way.
- Said Heddaya's characters give a sense of calmness, as if they are in a state of thinking or anticipation. Sometimes they suggest the danger surrounding humans and resulting from their actions, as in the Chernobyl tragedy, for example. In this printmaking artwork, we find the man in a state of panic, wanting to leave the work area to outside its borders, hoping for safety. The artist highlights this expressive idea using two torn birds colliding with each other in a charged atmosphere.
From (Panorama of the Egyptian Graphic Art in the Twentieth Century)
Said Heddaya’s Death
The Sea Artist... And the Folkloric Life in Alexandria
At the age of eighty, the Alexandrian Artist Said Heddaya, professor of graphic art at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Alexandria, passed away. Our artist was among the honorees in the 2017 exhibition, along with three artists: “Sculptor Gaber Hegazy, Painter Gamil Shafiq, and Visual Artist Ahmed Shiha." He participated in their exhibition, which was at the “Al-Bab” gallery. The late artist is considered one of the most important engraving artists of the third generation. This generation created deep features for printmaking, currently known as “graphic” art. It is a generation that involved many recognized names in this art field, including Mahmoud Abdullah, Saeed El-Adawy, Farouq Shehata, Sabry Hegazy, Fathi Ahmed, and Attia Hussein.
Heddaya was among the first batches (second batch) that graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria, which was founded by Artist Ahmed Othman. There, Othman formed a staff that consisted of free artists and fine arts professors from Cairo. In other words, the faculty featured academic studies and various free horizons of creativity. The professors included Seif Wanli, AdhamWanli, Hamed Neda, Mahmoud Moussa, Mohammad Hussein Hagras, Gamal El-Seginy, Abdullah Gohar, and Mariam Abdul-Alim. All of them taught Heddaya, and he viewed, contemplated, and lived through their works. Said Heddaya is the pioneer of colored engraving. His creations showed Alexandria's spirit through the sea, ritual gestures, and folkloric life, featuring many social, political, and national themes to which he gave a symbolic nature.
The Sea and the Sidi Gaber Birth Celebration
In the neighborhood of Sidi Bishr near the sea of Alexandria, Artist Said Heddaya was born in 1937. He was upbrought in that area, which represented the depth of the Egyptian folkloric character. This showed in the customs and rituals of folkloric magic, wedding ceremonies, birthdays, baby showers, Sufi parades, sheikhs at dhikr classes, and the folkloric games held during the Sidi Gaber birth celebrations. As soon as he joined the Faculty of Fine Arts in 1958, Heddaya’s expressive abilities began to shine in the folkloric theme. Hence, he chose a "graduation" project entitled "Folkloric Customs and Traditions", where he displayed various rituals and scenes, such as Ka'ak al-Eid preparation process, marriage and funeral traditions, and some practices related to the folk areas in Alexandria.
After his graduation in 1964, Said traveled in the "Barbino” scholarship to Italy, the stronghold of printmaking which derives its status and techniques from the Renaissance features. There, his knowledge and experience were formed by technical expertise and creativity at the same time. The strange thing is that Said did not abandon his origins, which confirm his strong Egyptian identity and his adherence to the folkloric environment. To it, he added new horizons, dimensions and depths.. of a contemporary touch and horizons of expression.
Folkloric Expressionism
Said Heddaya kept on receiving inspiration for his world from this authentic source of folkloric life and ritual practices, which represented an extension to the world of El-Gazzar and his teacher Hamid Neda. However, he spoke in his own language and used his own style. He was usually interested in composition and the coordination of the theme elements, in total freedom, which did not adhere to a static frame. Time and place were bound by the dramatic moment he utilized to serve his theme. Perhaps the "One Thousand and One Nights” painting, which he completed in Italy, was a vibrant area of tradition that asserts his philosophy of creativity. In a very spontaneous manner, it depicts a musician on a wooden bench. In the foreground of the painting, there is a standing woman watching silently and a dove in a circular formation. The elements and traditional units vary between the vertical and the horizontal in the foreground and the background of the painting.. In the painting "15th of May Hospital", contemporary times are mixed with the traditional lifestyle. It combines dream and reality, embodying the confusion regarding medicine, medications, and destiny. The late artist is a pioneer of colored engraving. He is one of the first artists who used colors in printmaking using the intaglio and relief metal plate drilling technique when he prepared his MA thesis in 1972 about “The Impact of Colors on Printmaking Artworks”. In the Baby Shower painting, we are introduced to three generations: the grandmother, the mother, and the newborn grandson, displayed in a spontaneous manner where the lines flow showing expressive fluency. On the floor of the painting, there are three flat surfaces: the first is circular, on which the grandmother stands; the second is a rectangular carpet in the foreground of the painting bonding the mother and the newborn baby; and in the background on the third flat surface there are seven lamps representing weekdays and lighting up “life”. The painting is dominated by dark colors between olive green and brick red, with a large cream-colored space.
Letters and Rituals
The late artist emphasizes his profound expressive and artistic abilities by using colors with mastery and skill, shown in the lights and opposite colors, which as soon as they fade in one spot in the painting, they glow in another. This is clear in his ritualistic painting where Arabic letters and words loom in the background. In its foreground, a woman with a cloudy look haunted by bewilderment stands. On the other side, a seated man holding a green lamp looks sideways, as if in dialogue with the woman’s front gaze. He is shown naked and lying behind her on a table shaped like a snake, and from which fish hang. This represents reproduction in a legendary time that has no limits.
Perhaps the painting of the woman and the man carrying the ring, and between them the wooden cart, suggests what the modern man suffers from in this turbulent era of spiritual emptiness and search for a meaning of life. In this space, the painting, with its corroded elements and the canopy that tops the empty cart, remains a reflection to this obsession in the look of the man and woman together.. It is an extension of the painting "Hungry Hands", which with its symbolism is very subjective in its portrayal of society: the empty plate, the seated woman, the held-out hands, and the wall clock that portrays heavy times.
Artist Said Heddaya broadened his world with many folkloric symbols that carry meanings, such as the disclosure and silence symbolized by the fish and the mythical bird “repeated in duals,” the kerosene lamp, and the sea that represents fluctuation. However, he also added the mermaid he personified in two of his most beautiful paintings that breathed blue. In one of them, the elements swim in full energy: the mermaid, the fish, the sailboat, and the sun positioned in the horizon, all in a contemporary rhythm mixed with mythology.
There is no doubt that the creativity our late artist presented in the field of printmaking, skillfully dealing with colors and diligently researching authenticity and modernity, made him worthy of receiving the Graphic Art Award at the Biennial of Alexandria in 1972, the 2nd International Egyptian Triennial, and the Engraving Award at the Engraving Exhibition in Spain. His works were also listed in the International Encyclopedia of Engraving in Japan, the German Scientific Encyclopedia, and the Swedish Encyclopedia.
May the Alexandrian artist Said Heddaya rest in peace, in a world absorbed with rituals, folkloric gestures, and modernistic touches.
By Salah Bisar, “for Alkahera Newspaper, Nov 28th, 2017”.