The Gebs, an art of sculpture
This ancient sculpting technique magnifies plaster for ornamental and architectural purposes. Gebs usually covers the upper part of walls, but also decorates arcades, ceilings and domes. It consists of the composition in relief of calligraphic texts or geometrical motifs: friezes, interlacing or rosettes. It does not contravene the ban on figurative representation in Islamic art. Dated 1117, the koubba El-Ba'Adiyne has ceilings and arches worked with delicacy. One can admire elaborate stucco work in the Moorish-style Bahia Palace, or in the room of the twelve columns of the Saadian Tombs, where the cedar wood dome overhangs finely chiseled walls. Its white or pinkish color is sometimes dyed, painted or gilded, resulting in intense patterns. To obtain such results, the manufacturing process is long and meticulous. First, the plaster is spread in a thick layer on the wall surface, bristling with nails for a better hold. The relatively long drying time of the plaster allows the masters to sculpt the material with unparalleled refinement.
Moroccan painting
Two events have left their mark on the country's pictorial memory: the Islamization of Morocco in the 9th century and colonization from 1912 onwards.
Pre-Islamic art, which gave pride of place to depictions of scenes of life and deeply marked the country's pictorial memory, was dominated by Arab-Muslim art after Islamization, which forbade any form of representation of animals and human beings. The latter, of immeasurable richness, finds expression in complex geometric shapes and motifs, representations of the plant world and calligraphy. Calligraphers write with a calame, a reed feather whose size determines the style of writing. Ink is traditionally made from candle soot. Easel painting came later, with the establishment of the protectorate. In a way, it was a return to its roots, in that it once again depicted scenes from everyday life. The twentieth century saw the emergence of talented artists who circumvented religious prohibitions. The opening of the first Moroccan art schools in 1945 gave an undeniable boost to artistic life. Naive art developed throughout the 20th century, reaching its peak in the 1960s and 1970s. Mohammed Ben Ali R'Bati (1861-1939) is a prime example of this trend. He portrayed all aspects of Tangier life, from daily life to festivities, never hesitating to enter the intimacy of the home. Mohamed Hamri (1932-2000) also played a key role in Moroccan painting, and displays a more stylized form of naiveté than R'Bati. Other painters moved away from figuration and linked up with international modern movements favoring abstraction. Ahmed Cherkaoui (1934-1967), whose fame extends beyond Morocco's borders, is one of the precursors of Moroccan modernism. His work, which was prematurely interrupted, changed the country's artistic history. At the intersection of his Arab and Berber heritage and major international modern trends, this artist developed a personal language of great symbolic richness. However, until the end of the 20th century, pictorial art in Morocco suffered from a relative lack of venues. Since 2016, the MACMA has been presenting a diversified panorama of Moroccan art through objects, photos and paintings.
The Western gaze
Foreign artists of the 19th and 20th centuries were enchanted by the charm of Moroccan cities. The Red City fascinated many Western painters. A heritage which certainly makes Morocco shine but which sadly eclipses the local artists. This is how the "Orientalist painting" was born, which includes works done by Europeans in Africa, the Near East or Asia. This genre was born at the end of the 19th century, with romantic painters such as Eugène Delacroix, who came to renew his inspiration in Morocco. Their idealized vision is expressed in images with an enchanting atmosphere. Sent on a mission by King Louis-Philippe to the Sultan Moulay Abderrahmane, Eugène Delacroix found in the kingdom a luminosity and motifs that stimulated his imagination. Among his works done in Morocco, The Jewish Wedding in Morocco (1841) is as impressive as his watercolor, Fantasia (1832). Similarly, his series of hunting scenes with the Sultan of Morocco (1845) have remained famous. Delacroix thus contributed to the spread of the fashion for oriental exoticism among Romantic painters. Later, it was Henri Matisse who developed a passion for the country, particularly for Tangier, which he discovered in 1912. The artist produced more than sixty works, which gave his painting a new dimension in the harmony of colors. He painted clearly identifiable characters as in The Standing Rifian (1912), or simply suggested them in an ocean of blue as in the Moroccan Café (1912-1913). The French painter Jacques Majorelle took up residence in the medina in 1919. The construction of his visionary studio, in the heart of a fabulous botanical garden, the Jardin Majorelle, began ten years later. The Villa Bleu Majorelle, which now houses the Berber Museum, is a landmark.
Moroccan photography
In the 19th century, the country remained fairly closed, and photography was not adopted until later. Many Europeans who had come to document the world took up the practice, accompanied by scientists, historians and writers. At a pivotal time, they captured the first images of a Kingdom still unknown to Westerners, immortalizing its fortified villages, kasbahs, mountains and Saharan provinces. In the 1880s, the country opened up further, and photographers moved in to open their studios. Initially mainly used for administrative and heritage purposes, photography was limited to landscapes and monuments. Henri de Lamartinière, a French diplomat, archaeologist and photographer sent on a mission, documented the Roman ruins of Volubilis.
Later, a more aestheticizing type of photography developed, with "scenes of types", halfway between ethnographic concern and exoticism. Nevertheless, Moroccan Muslims remained hostile to this art form, which went against the ban on human representation and was perceived as an attack on their integrity and faith. Between the wars, the Frenchman Gabriel Veyre, appointed photographer to Sultan Mouley Abd el Aziz, played an important role in the development of photography. He took hundreds of pictures of the country and its inhabitants, and was one of the first to capture local daily life in a natural way. To admire these snapshots from another era, the Maison de la Photographie de Marrakech showcases the country's diversity through the eyes of famous and anonymous photographers, from the beginnings of photography to the modern era (1879-1960). The second half of the 20th century saw the democratization of photography. Today, the country boasts a number of international figures and exhibition venues, including Gallery 127. Today, photography is considered an art form in its own right, rather than just a means of documentation, and is widely practiced. Hassan Hajjaj, born in 1961 in Larache, is one of the leading exponents of contemporary Moroccan photography, as well as being a pioneer of Moroccan Pop Art. His dual culture is expressed in a colorful style full of pleasant contradictions. Belgian-Moroccan photographer Mous Lamrabat (b. 1983) shakes up stereotypes of the Arab world to spread a message of peace through humorous images.
A flourishing contemporary art
The evolution of Moroccan art reveals the changes the country is going through. Figurative art is no longer taboo, and the new generation is not lacking in daring. They are tackling social and political issues such as inequality, sexism, immigration and the climate crisis.
Despite the challenges it faces, the art sector is going from strength to strength. Many Moroccan curators working in international museums are promoting the work of their compatriots internationally, and at the same time the country is gradually asserting itself as a regional artistic hub, increasingly connected to its North African and sub-Saharan neighbors. The Arab Spring of 2011 did much to stir things up, not only rekindling foreign interest, but above all enabling artists to realize the role they could play in expressing their views through art. To name but one, Lalla Essaydi, born in 1956 in Marrakech, is a leading artist and photographer. She grew up in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, and now lives between New York, Boston and Marrakech. A graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, she is one of Morocco's most highly regarded artists. Her paintings can be found in the Louvre and the British Museum in London. Her work revolves around the figure of the Arab woman, deconstructing the feminine stereotypes represented in Orientalist painting while incorporating Arabic calligraphy. MACAAL, the Musée d'Art Contemporain Africain Al Maaden in Marrakech, recently showcased the work of a group of Sufi artists whose fantastic universe is brimming with imagination. Originating in the streets, this self-taught movement draws its inspiration from the street and everyday life, and was first spotted by Frédéric Damgaard, who opened Essaouira's first gallery, Galerie d'Art Damgaard, in 1988. In this venue dedicated to Essaouira artists, he exhibited works by Abdelmalek Berhiss, Mohamed Tabal and Ali Maimoun. Espace Othello is now the second address in Essaouira to discover contemporary painters and sculptors. In the Medina, the multitude of small galleries, sometimes annexed to a studio as at the Arbre Bleu, bear witness to the cultural vigour of the area.
Street-art
Initially frowned upon, this art has gradually become an instrument of urban revitalization. Huge frescos subsidized by institutions or municipalities now decorate the streets of major cities. Even in art galleries, street art is becoming increasingly popular. Similarly, the Marrakech Biennale encourages graffiti artists through the Liberty Walls project. The country now has many young talents such as Kalamour, the duo Placebostudio (composed of Brick top and Abid), Rebel Spirit or Mevok. In Marrakech, works created by international artists dot the streets of the medina: C215; Hendrik Beikirch; the Italian Run and his geometric characters near the Bahia Palace; and on Dar El Bacha Street, the British artist Sickboy. In Guéliz, the street Oum er-rbia houses portraits of Morran ben Lahcen, the pioneer of graffiti in Morocco. In Essaouira, the Mogador Street Art program launched in 2019 combines music and outdoor painting. The giant mural The Smiles of Mogador, created in January 2022 by Ibiza painter Caterina Tur pays tribute to the city's children. Over 30 meters long, portraits of 49 children will spread hope to the world through their smiles!
