On Living Memories: Hussein Shariffe

‘There is a definitive analogy between my work as a painter and my work ‎as a filmmaker, which I think is inevitable. My framing of the film is ‎painterly. When it is in black and white the form of the frame becomes ‎even more important. My attitude to colour on film is also painterly…this is the way I do things‎. ‎I am a painter. Each work of art is different. I paint essentially for ‎myself. I see myself essentially as a painter, but I also come to life as a ‎filmmaker,’ said one of Sudan’s greatest artists and filmmakers, Hussein Shariffe.

As a postwar and contemporary painter, poet and filmmaker, Hussein Shariffe was born on 7 July 1934 in Omdourman, Sudan. Shariffe was a member of a prominent and influential Sudanese family, the artist’s grandfather was Al Imam Muhammed Ahmed Al Mahdi, Sudanese politician and religious leader who was an influential figure and personality in the history of the modern Sudan.  

Education

Shariffe’s primary education in Comboni School marks as an instrumental instigation of his interest in art where his art teacher encouraged him to further develop his talents after having sensed his artistic gifts. 

Following Comboni, Shariffe was sent to Victoria College, an elite college in Alexandria, Egypt where he was introduced and taught art, music and poetry, in addition to languages and theatre. This led Shariffe to consider pursuing a career in the arts; however, this was not reciprocated by his family who had an educational preference for medical or legal fields. His ‎father Dr Mamoun Hussein Shariffe was a medical doctor and grandson of ‎Al Khalifa Shariffe and his mother was Sayda Shama Abdelrahman ‎Al Mahdi, daughter of Al-Imam Abdelrahman Al Mahdi. His great grandfather was Sudanese politician and religious leader, Al-Imam Muhammed Ahmed ‎Al Mahdi. ‎

As a compromise, Shariffe went to England where he studied Modern History at Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge. Unsatisfied with his studies, Shariffe transferred to Sheffield University to study architecture in hopes it might be closer to his desired passion, the arts. 

Unfortunately, that was not the case and the ‘artist to be’ followed the advice of some of his friends and applied to Slade School of Fine Art where he studied under Lucien Freud. During this time, Shariffe would win the John Moore’s prize for young artists and in 1958 he made his first solo exhibition, using vivid juxtapositions of colour, at Gallery One, London, in July 1959.

Painting and the Cinema

Hussein Shariffe relished the solidarity of painting, but nonetheless, showed great interest in cinematography believing ‘Cinema has the ability to communicate across cultures and social classes’.

The artist underwent an intense period of exploration and socialisaion during the 60s and 70s where he founded the literary and arts periodical, Twenty One, as an attempt to bring Africa into the spotlight, where articles from African writers were published, a collective of four editions were sent to print. This was also a period where he exhibited his work in different countries. 

Troubled that he had not fulfilled his dream of reaching a large audience, Shariffe developed an aptitude for cinema. To him, the ability to reach out to people was essential for an artist, it was crucial he presented something of depth and meaning to his audience about his feelings towards his country and the people of his country. 

Shariffe directed his first film, The Throwing of Fire, in 1973 to which the coming period would be met with great instability within the political climate and his patience growing short. He then went to study filmography at the National Film School in the UK where he would later produce another seven films and documentaries.

In 1997, perturbed by the lack of freedom of expression and forced to leave the country, Shariffe began the idea of his last cinematic work Letters from Abroad which would explore the Sudanese identity in different countries. Having left his incomplete film behind, on 21 January 2005, Shariffe passed away.

During his lifetime, Shariffe painted over 500 paintings. Unfortunately records of the majority of his paintings are unknown. His remaining known work, however, was included in The Khartoum School – The Making of the Modern Art Movement in Sudan (1945-present) at The Sharjah Foundation in the UAE and can also be found at Barjeel Art Foundation in 2020.

A soon-to-be 19-year-old driven by E.M. Cioran’s hallmark of thought, “thinking against oneself” through continual introspection and inquiry into what one has been taught. Having multiple interests, namely politics, philosophy, technology, film and art, she is in a constant state of exploration. Currently, she’s majoring in Finance at Northumbria University and spends her spare time reading, writing and discovering new interests. Find her on Twitter at @suhakhalid.

Sources: Shariffe.org, Sotheby’s