Palestinians mourn ‘Camel of Hardship’ artist Sliman Mansour

A funeral service was held on Tuesday for the renowned Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour, who passed away at the age of 79. The ceremony took place in a church in Birzeit, near Ramallah in the West Bank. Mansour was celebrated for his vibrant and impactful paintings that depicted the Palestinian landscape, cultural scenes, and symbols of identity in the context of the nationalist struggle.

One of his most famous works, Camel of Hardship, painted in 1973, features an elderly porter carrying the weight of Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock on his back. His friend and fellow artist Vera Tamari recalled that Mansour's art showcased Palestine in all its beauty and hope, portraying the Palestinian woman in her traditional thobe and people deeply connected to the land.

Born in Birzeit, Palestine in 1947, Mansour studied fine art in Jerusalem before developing his unique style. He advocated for his paintings being reproduced as prints to increase accessibility and appreciation. Mansour was also involved in creating a local artistic movement, co-founding the League of Palestinian Artists and the International Academy of Art.

As a young man, he studied during the Nakba, the displacement of over 700,000 Palestinians during the first Arab-Israeli war. Mansour was known for his dedication to making his art accessible to a wide audience, even when Israeli security forces in the West Bank confiscated posters and postcards of his work. During the first intifada, he co-founded the New Vision collective with other artists, focusing on using natural materials like clay and henna.

Despite his canvases often selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars, Mansour requested only a fig tree to be planted in the Palestinian Museum garden as payment for a large mural.