Hafidh al-Droubi
Hafidh Al Droubi (1914-1991) was an Iraqi painter and draughtsman, noted for his Cubist paintings and for his approach to professionalising Iraqi art education in the early to mid 20th-century. He was a prolific painter, an important artist in the Pioneer generation, a key figure in the development of modernism in Iraq and a key figure in the development of early Iraqi art education. Life and career Hafidh Al Droubi (also known as Hafez al-Droubi) was born Bab al-Sheikh in Baghdad in 1914. As a young student at the Bab Al-Sheikh Primary School, he was introduced to painting and drawing and learned the techniques of European academic art in terms of proportions, anatomy and perspective. His conservative family disapproved of his passion for painting which they considered the ‘work of the devil’. In the 1920s, his uncle regularly threatened to cut him off if he persisted with art. However, his allowance continued and he used the money to purchase art supplies.- In 1936, he received a scholarship to study in Rome, graduating from the Accademia Reale. Due to the outbreak of war, his studies were interrupted and he returned to Baghdad for a brief period, during which time he opened a free atelier in Baghdad, dedicated to giving aspiring artists access to studio space and resources for their practice. He served as the dean of the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad. After the war, he returned to his art studies, enrolling at Goldsmiths College, London, and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950. On his permanent return to Baghdad, he became very active in the formation and development of Iraq's arts community. He was an early member of the Pioneers art group: Iraq's first formal arts society. He co-founded the first Iraqi Fine Art Society (also known as the Friends of Art) in 1941 which not only aimed to encourage social interaction between artists, but also to develop the artistic taste of the general public. This group also organised annual art exhibitions to promote the work of local artists. In 1953, he formed the Impressionists art collective, which consisted of his friends and some of his students including Dia Azzawi. In spite of its name, the group did not dictate that members follow impressionism exclusively, rather it encouraged artists to experiment with a variety of different styles. He was among the first group of teachers at the Baghdad College of Fine Arts, and went on to become Dean of the Iraqi Fine Arts Academy. As an art educator, Al Droubi was not committed to any particular style or genre. Instead, he encouraged his students to experiment with a variety of different styles. Although he was a prolific painter, he is mainly remembered for his contribution to art education; professionalising the art industry and developing a coherent pedagogy for the teaching of art in the early to mid-20th century. Work He was a highly experimental painter, at different times in his career he followed Impressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and