Born in 1926, Shafic Abboud would grow up to become one of the most renowned and collected Lebanese abstract artists. After graduating from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Art in 1947, he moved to Paris to be trained under a handful of great French artists namely Fernand Leger, to later enroll at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris in 1952. 

Throughout Abboud’s painting career one can observe two main directions: at the start of his career he had painted in the figurative style, drawing inspiration from Lebanese folklore and daily life. He then moved on to Abstract Expressionism, a movement that took off in the 1950s, although unlike mainstream Abstract Expressionists, he did not totally abandon the structured composition. He did however experiment with the use of vibrant and muted colors together, and a dynamism in his process that remains apparent in his works. 

Abboud has been exhibited in countless exhibitions worldwide, the latest being a retrospective at the Institut Du Monde Arabe in Paris. He has also won a list of prizes, and his works have been acquired by prestigious institutions such as the Tate Modern, Qatar’s Mathaf (Museum of Arab Art), the Centre Pompidou in Paris, etc. 

In this work, a woman delicately leans over, reaching for the ground, knees together in a graceful manner, her heavy dress dictating and guiding her movement. La Robe Chinoise (The Chinese Dress) boasts Abboud’s usual colors, but is one of few paintings where figuration makes a soft come-back in his works. The figure almost melts into abstraction, giving in to the weight on her back like a turtle’s shell. The piece is full of paradoxes. Perhaps one could say Abboud was making a commentary on the relationship between tradition and modernity.