Mhyd Mohammad al Zhwry
An Artist and Calligrapher from Qosair
Mhyd is a Syrian fine artist from Qosair in the Homs countryside who loved the plastic arts and oil painting. With the advent of the Syrian revolution he turned to painting the banners for the demonstrations.
He was injuried in his head by shrapnel from a shell which the regime forces fired on Qosair [near Homs] on the 30th of May 2012. He was transported unconscious to a hospital in Lebanon were he succumbed to his injuries on the 31th of May 2012.
In an interview with Al Arabiya conducted a few days before his martyrdoom, Mhyd said
“After all, I am one of the Syrian people, I share their feelings.. but I’m conveying these feelings, the people’s feelings, onto a canvas, a painting or banner… in the end I’m a Syrian person”.
His work portrait the revolution going on in the streets and the political events in the form of caricatures. For example one of his latest cartoons (below) contrasts the 2012 presidential debate in France and the way which Bashar Assad came to power. “Sarkozy was debating a competing contender and presidential candidate Hollande. The debate was calm and democratic. The debate was in France and Hollande won. This arose our emotions as Syrians and made us ponder on how democracy was practised in Syria. Bashar al Assad was debating a wall when he came to power. He had discussions with the wall. He debated the wall! There wasn’t any debate, there wasn’t any other candidate competing for the presidency”.
The revolution freed Mhyd from censorship and provided an oppurtunity for him to bring out his creativity.
A colleciton of Mhyd’s work
A tribute page to Mhyd:
https://www.facebook.com/ShhydFnanyAlthwrtMhydMhmdAlzhwry
Sources:
المترجمون السوريون الأحرار | Free Syrian Translators 