KALEIDOO-SCOPE
Who was Fahrelnissa Zeid? Google celebrates the artist’s 118th birthday with a Doodle
Known to have the ability to turn anything into art - even a chicken carcass — Zeid was a revolutionary artist for her time
GOOGLE Doodle is today celebrating Turkish artist Fahrelnissa Zeid on what would have been her 118th birthday.
Let’s take a closer look at the life and works of one of the most celebrated painters of the 20th century.
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Who was Fahrelnissa Zeid?
Zeid was born into an aristocratic Ottoman family in 1901.
She broke through several barriers throughout her career by combining the art of the Middle East with European abstract art.
Although remembered as having a vibrant personality she suffered depression.
Tragically she lost her father at just 13-years-old after her brother accidentally shot him dead.
Legend has it she once discussed art with Hitler.
And it is said she managed to save her Iraqi royal husband's life after convincing him to holiday with her.
Zeid’s artistic reputation was cemented in the 1950s when she was living between London and Paris.
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What was her work and style like?
A revolutionary artist for her period she blended Islamic, Arab Byzantine and Persian influences with European abstract art.
Her style was to create huge paintings with her 6ft-high Towards A Sky an example.
Her son Prince Raad Zeid Al-Hussein once said his mum could "turn anything into art".
This included a painting on a chicken and turkey carcass after being "struck by their shape".
She was known for her kaleidoscopic patterns, with her major works being:
- Fight Against Abstraction, 1947
- Resolved Problems, 1948
- My Hell, 1951
- Towards a Sky, 1953
- Someone From the Past, 1980
MORE ABOUT GOOGLE DOODLES
What is a Google Doodle?
In 1998, the search engine founders Larry and Sergey drew a stick figure behind the second 'o' of Google as a message to that they were out of office at the Burning Man festival and with that, Google Doodles were born.
The company decided that they should decorate the logo to mark cultural moments and it soon became clear that users really enjoyed the change to the Google homepage.
In that same year, a turkey was added to Thanksgiving and two pumpkins appeared as the 'o's for Halloween the following year.
Now, there is a full team of doodlers, illustrators, graphic designers, animators and classically trained artists who help create what you see on those days.
Among the Doodles published in 2018 were ones commemorating cartographer Abraham Ortelius, Egyptian actor Omar Sharif and St Patrick's Day.
And of course there was a whole series for the football World Cup in Russia.
And they kicked off New Year celebrations with an animated graphic.
The history of the Google Doodle
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