Khelil Gouia

Tunisia

Professor of aesthetics, art theories and semiology of the image at the Higher Institute of Arts of the University of Sfax, Tunisia. He holds a PhD in arts sciences and techniques, specialising in art theories and history, as well as a professorial degree in philosophy from the University of Tunis, and an in-depth studies certificate in the history of modern art (ISBAT). His published books include Tashkeel Al Roya (The Formation of the Vision), Omarat Al Roya (The Architecture of the Vision), Bonyat Al Thaeykah wa Soltat Al Namothaj (The Structure of Taste and the Authority of the Model), Al Aamal Al Fanny wa Tahwolatoh bayn Al Nathar wa Al Natharyah (Artwork and Its Transformations between Theory and Theory, An Attempt in the Constructivism of Looking) and Masar Al Tahdeeth fe Al Fonoon Al Tashkelyah, men Al Orsomah ella Al Lawha (The Path of Modernisation in the Visual Arts, From Drawing to Painting). He also supervised the issuance of some scientific artistic books at Bayt Al Hekmah in Carthage, and contributed to editing the ‘Tunisian Encyclopedia’ on cultural history and the arts. He also contributed to launch a number of annual events, festivals and seminars related to fine arts.

About The Book

This book is an exploration of Tunisian art history since the emergence of the ‘Ursooma’, which is a form of Islamic art based on painting on glass, all the way to the painting in the contemporary sense of the world, which emerged in the early 20th century. The book delivers on the literary and critical fronts by reading and understanding established and presumptive history, attempting to shed the light on this seamless transition from pre-modernist and traditional Tunisian art, to modern paintings. Finally, the book delves into the connection between the ‘Ursooma’ traditional art in Tunisia and modern art.

Published: 2020