Fathi Safwat Kirdar (1896–1966) was an Iraqi painter and sculptor. Born in
Kirkuk
Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...
into a well-known Turkmen family of Kirdar/Qirdar. In 1905, his father moved to Baghdad, where he studied at the Rushdiya military school and taught at its schools. He served in the
Ottoman army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire () was the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. It was founded in 1299 and dissolved in 1922.
Army
The Military of the Ottoman Empire can be divided in five main periods. The foundation era covers the years ...
during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, and was captured once in Palestine. He completed his post-graduate studies at the Teachers' House in Istanbul and was appointed as a teacher for painting in Iraq from 1927 to 1961. Among his students were
Faeq Hassan, Atta Sabri, Hafiz Al-Droubi and
Jawad Saleem.
He died in Istanbul.
Life
Fathi Safwat Kirdar was born in Kirkuk in 1896. He belongs to the well-known Kirdar family. His father, Muhammad Said Chalabi, was a major merchant of Kirkuk and then moved his family to Baghdad in 1905. Fathi studied at the Rushdiya military school and taught in Baghdad schools. He was captured by British forces and arrested in Tulkarm and then in Sidi Bishr, Alexandria.
After the end of WW I, he moved to Istanbul and completed his graduate studies at the Teachers' House(Dârülmuallimîn) under the management of
Sati' al-Husri, who appointed Fathi Safwat as a painting teacher in the Turkish capital schools. He participated in courses under professors of painting. When
Sati' al-Husri took over as Director of General Education, he recalled Fathi Safwat to Baghdad and appointed him a teacher of painting and handicrafts, including sculpture at the primary teachers' house on September 1, 1927. Among his students were
Faeq Hassan, Atta Sabri, Hafiz Al-Droubi and
Jawad Saleem.
He travelled to Istanbul for a summer trip and died there in July 1966.
Works
Some famous works of Fathi Safwat are busts of
King Faisal I,
Jamil Sidqi Zahawi,
King Ghazi of Iraq and Ali Mazloum and others. In painting, he was inclined to paint in watercolour, but he encouraged his students to paint all kinds. One of his most prominent sculptors was Muhammad Ghani.
See also
*
Sati' al-Husri
*
Jawad Saleem
*
Faeq Hassan
*
List of Iraqi artists
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirdar, Fathi Safwat
Ottoman prisoners of war
20th-century Iraqi painters
Ottoman Army officers
Iraqi emigrants to Turkey
Iraqi Sunni Muslims
20th-century Iraqi sculptors
Iraqi Turkmen people
1896 births
1966 deaths
People from Kirkuk
20th-century Iraqi educators