The Symbolism of Women and the Bull in Mahmoud Ajami's Sculptures

Muntazar AsemHassan; Aqeel Jassim Hussein

Muntazar AsemHassan College of Fine Arts, Sculpture Department, University of Babylon, Iraq
Aqeel Jassim Hussein College of Fine Arts, Sculpture Department, University of Babylon, Iraq

Keywords: Mahmoud Ajami, Symbolism, Surrealism, Ancient Iraqi Art, and Human-Animal Fusion.

Abstract

This study explores the symbolism of women and bulls in the sculptural works of Iraqi artist Mahmoud Ajami, focusing on their cultural, philosophical, and historical significance. Using a descriptive analytical method, the research examines 106 sculptural pieces created between 2000 and 2022, narrowing the focus to three stylistically distinct works. These pieces were selected for their unique representation of women and bulls, a recurring theme in Ajami’s art.The analysis reveals how Ajami employs abstraction and surrealist techniques to merge human and animal features, drawing from Mesopotamian mythology and contemporary artistic narratives. His works reinterpret themes of fertility, strength, and identity, bridging traditional and modern influences. Through symbolic elements and innovative use of materials like clay and bronze, Ajami’s sculptures invite reflection on complex dualities such as masculinity and femininity, humanity and nature, and tradition and modernity. The study highlights Ajami’s unique artistic identity, which connects ancient cultural motifs with contemporary expressions, offering a rich dialogue between the past and present

References

[1] Ajami, Mahmoud: *From the Memory of Sumer: Paintings in the Language of Clay*, Al-Yusr Press, 1st Edition, Baghdad, 2020, p. 3.

[2] Al Janabi, A.H. (2023). The image of women in the poetry of the Umayyad revolution. JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE STUDIES. https://doi.org/10.25130/jls.1.3.8

[3] Asgari, L. (2019). The Symbolic Relation of the Bull and Plants in the Pahlavi Bundahishn. Study of Religion. https://doi.org/10.22250/2072-8662.2019.4.5-12

[4] Badmaev, A.A. (2021). Cattle in Buryat Mythology and Ritual. Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia, 49, 116-125. https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0102.2021.49.1.108-115

[5] Brunet, M.T. (2005). Iconografía y economía: un ejemplo aplicado a los orígenes de la escultura ibérica en el área del Bajo Segura (Alicante). Munibe Antropologia-Arkeologia, 243-256.

[6] Chisale, S.S. (2021). When women and Earth connect: African ecofeminist or ecowomanist theology? HTS Religion & Society Series. https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2021.bk237.01

[7] Daniel, S. (2021). Fertility of women and Mother Earth: An Ethiopian theological perspective. HTS Religion & Society Series. https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2021.bk237.10

[8] Gay-Y-Balasco, P. (1999). Women and Bullfighting: Gender, Sex and the Consumption of Tradition. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 5, 125-126. https://doi.org/10.2307/2660992

[9] Hartner, W. (1965). The Earliest History of the Constellations in the near East and the Motif of the Lion-Bull Combat. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 24, 1 - 16. https://doi.org/10.1086/371785

[10] Hartner, W. (1965). The Earliest History of the Constellations in the near East and the Motif of the Lion-Bull Combat. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 24, 1 - 16. https://doi.org/10.1086/371785

[11] Hashim, A., Lodhi, D.M., & Khanum, S. (2021). A Study of Themes and Symbols used in ‘The Bull and She Devil’ by Zaib-Un-Nisa Hamidullah.

[12] Heffner, E.H., & B., E.P. (1931). Archaeological Discussions. American Journal of Archaeology, 35, 170 - 201. https://doi.org/10.2307/498248

[13] Jing, S. (2022). The Generative Mechanism of Metaphors for Women and Nature. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.25236/ajhss.2022.051413

[14] Pink, S. (1997). Women and Bullfighting: Gender, Sex and the Consumption of Tradition. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474215961

[15] Pink, S. (2020). Women and Bullfighting. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003087403

[16] Reynolds, D.M. (1993). Masters of American Sculpture: The Figurative Tradition from the American Renaissance to the Millennium. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.31-4744

[17] Rice, M. (1998). The power of the bull. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315788210

[18] Seggerman, A.D. (2014). Mahmoud Mukhtar: ‘The first sculptor from the land of sculpture’. World Art, 4, 27 - 46. https://doi.org/10.1080/21500894.2014.893811

[19] Seggerman, A.D. (2014). Mahmoud Mukhtar: ‘The first sculptor from the land of sculpture’. World Art, 4, 27 - 46. https://doi.org/10.1080/21500894.2014.893811

[20] Torné, M.V. (2019). Patriarchy in bullfighting. Derecho Animal. Forum of Animal Law Studies. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/da.447

[21] Twiss, K.C., & Russell, N. (2009). Taking the Bull by the Horns: Ideology, Masculinity, and Cattle Horns at Çatalhöyük (Turkey). Paleobiology, 35, 19-32. https://doi.org/10.3406/PALEO.2009.5296