Abstract Figurative Painting

I called it "Scare" because fear is the silent third figure in the painting. Not the monsters in the background, but the fear that mothers carry daily - the fear of not being enough, of not being fast enough, strong enough to shield their children from a world that feels broken. The title is short and sharp, like the feeling itself. What inspired you to paint this? I painted this in 2017 during a period when the news was full of displacement and families torn apart. I kept seeing images of mothers holding children in war zones, in refugee camps, in hospitals. Their arms were the only walls they had. I wasn’t painting war directly. I was painting the instinct that shows up before and after war: a mother turning her body into shelter. The fragmented background came from how the world felt to me then - broken into sharp, mismatched pieces. Talk about the technique. I used acrylic on canvas with a cubist-influenced style. I broke the figures and background into geometric planes to show emotional fragmentation. The mother’s body is constructed from large, solid blocks of blue and beige - stable, heavy.

The children are softer, in green and pink, but their faces are simplified with big eyes to capture raw vulnerability. I layered flat color areas with hard edges, no blending. That’s intentional. Life doesn’t blend smoothly when you’re scared. I used a thick black outline around the circular base they stand on to ground them - like a spotlight or a protective ring. The background is intentionally chaotic: tilted shapes, clashing reds, oranges, grays. It creates visual tension against the calm, closed circle of the embrace. What do you want the viewer to see? I want you to feel the weight of the arms first. Before you analyze colors or shapes. Notice how the mother’s hands cover both children completely - she’s not just holding them, she’s covering them. Then look at the children’s eyes. They’re not crying. They’re watching. That’s the scary part: children who learn to be quiet and watchful too early. I also want you to see the contrast. The safe circle vs the broken world behind them. Safety isn’t a place in this painting. Safety is a person. Why is this painting close to you? This one is personal because I grew up watching my own mother do this. Not in war, but in ordinary fear - financial fear, health fear, the fear of bad news at the door. Her arms were my first house. Every mother I know has a version of this pose. So when I paint "Scare", I’m painting her, and I’m painting every woman who decided that if something breaks, it should break on her first, not on her child.

This original painting by internationally acclaimed artist Abdelrahman Shamieh is a sophisticated addition to any collection. Known for his emotive use of texture and color, Shamieh’s work brings a sense of depth and contemporary elegance to luxury home decor and high-end office interiors. This hand-painted masterpiece is a timeless investment in fine art. Shop original artworks by Abdelrahman Shamieh online at Artezaar.com, the premier online art gallery in Dubai.

NOTE: The image shown is a close up image of the Painting. The 2nd image shows the full painting, with the following images showcasing closeups of the artwork, detailing the work done by the artist.

Painting is signed by the artist

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