Suleiman Mansour was among the Arab world’s most renowned visual artists and the creator of the iconic Palestinian painting Mount of the Bearers. [Courtesy of Suleiman Mansour]
Sliman Mansour’s art captured the essence of Palestine, blending ancient traditions with modern themes of resistance.
Celebrated artist Sliman Mansour, one of the founding figures of contemporary Palestinian art, has died at the age of 79 after a long illness, his family announced on Monday.
Born in Birzeit, near Ramallah, in 1947, Mansour rose to prominence in the 1970s as part of a generation of Palestinian artists, writers and poets seeking to rebuild a threatened identity through symbols rooted in land and memory. Over more than five decades, his paintings came to embody the story of Palestine: the farmer clinging to his soil, the stone house on a hill, the embroidered thobe and the smile of a young girl carrying the hope of return.
Mansour studied art in Beirut and Washington and went on to exhibit extensively, both in solo shows and group exhibitions across the Arab world and internationally. His works are held in museums and private collections worldwide, and he received numerous awards in recognition of his contribution to Arab and Palestinian culture.
His visual language drew deeply from the region’s ancient civilisations – Canaanite, Pharaonic and Assyrian – as well as Islamic and Arab art, particularly calligraphy and geometric motifs. At the same time, his upbringing in Birzeit anchored his work in the everyday life of Palestinian villages: the landscape, peasants, traditional homes and clothing. Mansour also absorbed influences from global art that carried messages of freedom and resistance, blending local forms with a universal appeal.
During the first Intifada, he helped found the New Vision group with fellow artists, turning to mud, straw, wood, leather, henna and natural dyes after Palestinian artists boycotted Israeli-made supplies. This shift, he later said, forged a vital link between post-Nakba art and the work of younger generations.
For many Palestinians, Mansour’s canvases were more than images; they were a visual archive of the cause itself. His brush, critics and admirers agree, carried the homeland.
Al Jazeera looks at some of his famous paintings.
Rituals under Occupation 1989 one of Suleiman Mansours most prominent works captures the suffering of Palestinians living under occupation and their daily resilience In this oil painting a highly symbolic funeral scene unfolds vast crowds carry the coffin of a Palestinian draped in the Palestinian flag and depicted as a large cross evoking the Christian narrative of the crucifixion of Christ Courtesy of Suleiman MansourThe Portrait Portrait of a Man 2017 and 2019 clay and acrylic on wood Courtesy of Suleiman MansourOlive Grove depicts a natural landscape of stone terraces and olive trees Courtesy of Suleiman MansourPatience and Hope 1976 is considered one of Mansours most prominent visual representations of the Palestinian concept of steadfastness The work expresses Palestinians ongoing resistance to occupation and embodies renewed hope despite persistent challenges It depicts three Palestinian figures each representing a different generation an elderly man carrying cultural heritage a young man bearing the banner of struggle and a woman symbolising hope and renewal a clear reference to the continuity of the struggle across generations Courtesy of Suleiman MansourThe Shrinking Piece 1996 suggests that Palestine is disappearing and symbolises the need for international action on the Palestinian struggle Courtesy of Suleiman MansourSymbol of Hope 1985 depicts a Palestinian village whose inhabitants gaze towards the sky in contemplation as a dove of peace flies overhead Courtesy of Suleiman MansourDesert Melodies 1977 one of Mansours most prominent works embodies the spirit of resistance and hope at the heart of Palestinian suffering The painting depicts a symbolic scene of two Palestinian women in traditional dress one playing the flute in the middle of a barren desert expressing Palestinians ability to create beauty and hope even in the harshest circumstances Through this work Mansour pays tribute to Palestinian womens artistic expression and highlights the deep relationship between people and nature Courtesy of Suleiman MansourThe Renaissance 1977 depicts a woman emerging triumphantly from a map of the historic Holy Land symbolising resurrection and the Palestinian narrative of revolutionary revival Traditional dress a hand holding a rifle and images of houses and the walls of Old Jerusalem underscore the deep roots and enduring foundations of the Palestinian people Courtesy of Suleiman MansourThe Sea is Mine 2016 depicts a symbolic scene of three Palestinian figures a woman a girl and a child walking along the beach with their hands raised They hold key Palestinian symbols a pen a paintbrush a rifle an olive branch and the key of return while a white dove symbolising peace hovers above them The beach stretches into the background underscoring the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in the face of marginalisation and occupation Courtesy of Suleiman MansourSketch of human figures charcoal on paper 1966 Courtesy of Suleiman MansourThe Wild Lily of Galilee 2020 symbolises love identity and the eternal spirit of Palestine through its poetic symbolism and deep cultural heritage Courtesy of Suleiman Mansour
