The Deluge: The Gods Abandon Palmyra (2011-2012) by Elias Zayat

In 2014, Atassi Foundation acquired Elias Zayat’s monumental work “The Deluge: The Gods Abandon Palmyra, 2011-2012" along with all its 13 studies. In this exhibit, we present the story of this artwork in the words of the artist.

"In this story we explore The Deluge by Elias Zayat through the finished artwork, its preparatory studies, and the artist’s statement, all part of the collection of the Atassi foundation.”

“The significance of the story is that the Deluge was inevitable so that the universe would be reorganized and honorably reconstructed after it was flooding with wickedness and darkened by falsehood.”

“In my paintings I was inspired by this tale without committing myself to a certain literature text.”

“I tried to interpret and illustrate it in a compositional imaginative context which resulted in an interlaced composition of colors and figures.

“From a figurative aspect, my figures were racing with berserk horses; running from the right towards the left side on the canvas,"

"where also floods and ruins are also scattering as the tremendous city failed to withstand the event.”

“I used Palmyra as a metaphoric virtual stage deploying its Arab-Syrian authenticity and local identity in the era between the 1st century BC till the 3rd century AD, as I used the figures of its ancient Gods who came from both Mesopotamian culture and old Arabic religions.

“I imagined the story of the Deluge taking place in Palmyra since the Head of Palmyrian Gods is Baalchmin-God of fertility, rain and storm, besides Jipol “Ajlaboul” God of the moon and Arehol “Yarhaboul” God of the Sun, not forgetting the female Gods as Ishtar, Allat and Ninaii."

“Moreover, seeing that I was not using a literature description of the event in my painting and knowing that I intentionally didn’t determine the identities of the ancient Gods,

the shapes came out as symbolic figures expressing themselves in Sufi dancing glancing to the upper world optimistically believing that “the best is yet to come.”  I regard their resilience to the flood in the form of promising branches of a tree, a kite and wings of eternity.