Outside Damascus Gate, Jerusalem

David Bomberg 1890 - 1957

Summary

A semi-abstract scene of people absorbed in their daily duties by Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, painted from a vantage point overlooking the scene below. A large fortress with a crenellated ridge is central to the image, there are towers to the left and right of the fortress with a central, closed arched gateway. Market stalls line the left of the image, and covered pedal 'taxi' bikes extend in a row to the right of the image. This is representative of the period where he painted in a semi-abstract manner, for some of which he traveled throughout the Middle East. The paintwork is rapid with single strokes used to represent figures and animals (such as the donkey in the centre of the image, effortlessly created with only three or four strokes of a brush.) The painting is predominately grey, beige and white in tone with the buildings being the focus of the image, however there are dashes of colour (pinks, purples, brown) to add detail to the figures in the foreground. Some of the figures have a gold/yellow patch of detail just above their heads, these represent the traditional Keffiyah headdress.