DUBAI:聽Google has created a doodle to celebrate the life of聽Algerian artist Mohammed Racim聽Thursday, marking 125 years since his birth on June 24.
The doodle can be seen in聽Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, 黑料社区, the UAE, Oman, Lebanon聽and Algeria.
Born in 1896, to a family of established artisans in Algiers, Racim鈥檚 first exposure to art was a stint working聽in a colonial drawing office when he was聽14, where he copied the designs of carpets, Arab embroideries, copper ornaments, and wood sculptures.
He is buried with his wife in the聽Thaalibia Cemetery聽of the聽Casbah of Algiers.
While these helped develop his art, it was an introduction to the ancient form of illustration - 聽Persian miniatures 鈥 that became the foundation for his work.
From then onwards he developed his own personal hybrid form of expression through miniatures 鈥 combining traditional materials, classical arabesque and calligraphic styles - but used them to frame figurative inserts that had modern features.
He was still a teenager when he became established, decorating with calligraphic plates.
Racim鈥檚 main customers were businessmen and government officials.
By 1930, Racim's vibrant miniatures were making the rounds, elevating him to a major figure in Algerian culture.
Racim聽reinvigorated聽Maghrebi cultural customs聽while聽redefining聽the global perspective of the Arab world through art.聽
Racim鈥檚聽art聽helped revitalize聽Algerian pride,聽playing an聽instrumental聽role聽in the North African country鈥檚 independence movement.
As with most of his work, Racim's 鈥淲omen at the Cascad鈥 illustrates聽an imagined past, before the arrival of the French colonizers聽at a time when the indigenous people ruled their lands freely.聽 聽聽
His memory lives on today, with much of Racim鈥檚 personal collection displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Algiers.聽
And the Algerian School for Miniature Painting he founded with his brother, Omar 鈥 remains open.
