The Impact of Political Discourse of Socialism on Modern Egyptian Painting

Studying the history of art from the modern era onwards is actually the study of current political and cultural discourses in countries. In the contemporary era, cultural and artistic works cannot be read independently and based on their aesthetic properties. These works are themselves readings of the discourses of power and dominance of their society. Following the political changes in Egypt due to the continuous repressive regimes, the ideologies of the rulers have also evolved. Thus cultural and artistic policies as a tool in the hands of the rulers lead to the creation and production of works that reproduce the governments. Socialism, which was introduced as the most important political discourse in Egypt following the 1952 revolution led by Nasser (President from 1956 to 1970), had a significant impact on Egyptian art. This discourse was an anti-colonialist ideology, and people working in the arts and culture sought to present the uncertainties surrounding them with discussions about the nature, purpose, and future. This article seeks to examine the relationship between the language of painting and the ideology of socialism in order to create new meanings by examining the paintings of the most important artists of this period in contemporary art history, Abdul Hadi al-Jazar, Efat Naji and Ragheb Ayad. The findings suggest that the idea of the modern Egyptian nation, as a cultural discourse, is tied to the emergence of modern Egyptian art. In the works of the Egyptian socialist artists, nation, i.e. Egypt is not merely a political entity but a hypothetical and constructed idea that unites its members around a common geography and history.