Marc Eliany – Lovers – Les amoureux

Looks from behind veils worn by Moroccan women reveal a strong passion for love and human bonding. Many women wore the veil in my childhood. Nowadays, many do not. What was a symbol of humility in a traditional society implies oppression in a modern one. Through the change, Moroccan women found a way to express their lust for life with their eyes. This is a tribute to Moroccan women.

Veiled Women I

Oil and Moroccan color pigments on jute,
1993, Vienna (35.5 x 55 inches)
Femme Voil?e I
Huile et pigments Marocains sur jute,
1993, Vienne (35.5 x 55 inches)
Les amoureux – Marc Eliany

Derri?re le voile des femmes marocaines: passion pour l’amour et les liens humains. De nos jours, plusieurs ne le portent pas. Ceci est un hommage que je leur rends.

Berber brides – Marc Eliany

I love the colorfully dressed Berber brides. They are so stunning that they overshadow their grooms. I superimposed a bride on a groom to show them as one inseparable entity. Moroccan oil pigments were laid on the canvas, leaving an impression of henna freshly applied to a bride’s hair.

The henna, a green plant turned into a good luck ointment, is worn like a crown, running down wet hair, impregnating it with a reddish tint.

Bride and Groom after the Henna

Oil and Moroccan color pigments on canvas
1993, Vienna (70 x 90 cm)
Les maries apres le henna
Huile et pigments Marocains sur toile,
1993, Vienne (70 x 90 cm)
Les mari?es berb?res – Marc Eliany

J’aime les mari?es berb?res habill?es de couleurs. Elles sont si magnifiques qu’elles ?clipsent leur ?poux.
L’huile et les pigments de couleurs sur la toile laissent une impression de henn? fra?chement appliqu? sur les cheveux de la mari?e.
Le henn?, une plante verte devenue symbole de bonne chance, est port? comme une couronne, coulant le long des cheveux mouill?s et laissant une teinte rouge?tre.

Roosters in Love in the Mellah

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (80 x 90 cm)
Coqs amoureux aux Mellah
Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (80 x 90 cm)

My eyes caught your lips – Marc Eliany

My eyes caught your lips.
A garden
A lawn
And soon
Budding trees,
Flowers
And ripe fruits
Too.
He
Who will not bite,
Will bear his sin.

Lovers in Nude

Oil on acrylic and plaster-primed canvas,
1993, Vienna (18.75 x 23.5 in)
Amoureux nues
Huile sur toile platr?e et enduite d’acrylic,
1993, Vienne (18.75 x 23.5 in)

Sleep not! – Marc Eliany

Sleep not!
Drink my wine!
Make
My garden
Your bed.
Sip
In joy
My bloom.
Scented delights,
A river stroll,
Birds singing.
The sound of
Your lips
In my garden!

Veiled Woman on a Sunny Day

Oil on canvas, 1997, Vienna (27.9 x 35.5 cm)
Femme voil?e une journ?e ensoleil?e????
Huile sur toile, 1997, Vienne (27.9 x 35.5 cm)

Come my love – Marc Eliany

Come my love
Into my garden
The roses are in bloom,
Their scent exhilarating.
Drink with me
For the sun has risen
And the birds are singing.

Marc Eliany – The Markets

Les Marches

Brightly dyed cotton and wool fascinated me as I walked through markets and artisans’ quarters, dancing over my head? to the rhythm of a light breeze, reminding me of an enigmatic custom: Berber women dancing in a line, choosing a man to marry? in a symbolic wedding that lasts? seven days!

Chasing Spirits

Oil on canvas board, 1993, Vienna (50.8 x 60.9 cm)
Dance nocturne
Huile sur toile carton?e, 1993, Vienne (50.8 x 60.9 cm)

Les Marches – Marc Eliany

Lorsque je d?ambulais?? ? travers les march?s et les quartiers d’artisans,? j??tais ravi? ? la vue du coton et de la laine teints en couleurs vives. Suspendus au-dessus de ma t?te, ils dansaient au rythme d’une brise l?g?re, me rappelant une coutume berb?re ?nigmatique o? les femmes s’alignent pour danser, choisissent un mari pour un mariage qui ne durera que sept jours!

Wishes for a Bright Sunny Day in the Market

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (50 x 60 cm)
Voeux pour une journ?e ensoleil?e au march?
Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (50 x 60 cm)
The lively markets – Marc Eliany

The lively markets revived my soul each time I visited my ancestors’ land. I remembered granpa sitting among his spices and aunt Sarah bathing among colorful dresses that were to cover Berber maids.

After the Market on a Bright Sunny Day

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (50 x 60 cm)
Apr?s le march? une journ?e ensoleil?e
Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (50 x 60 cm)
Orange groves – Marc Eliany

Just outside Beni Melal, my place of birth, there are orange groves as far as one can see. I lived in Beni Melal until I was four or five? and in my mind, the groves were like a sea of green fields with oranges floating over it, beyond my reach as a child. This taken for granted image of a fruit hanging on a tree, was to move me for many years after.

Orange in Green Study

Oil on acrylic and plaster-primed canvas board,

1993,Vienna (40 x 50 cm)
Orange dans le vert
Huile sur tuile carton?e, platr?e et enduite d’acrylic,
1993, Vienne (40 x 50 cm)

Moroccan Carpets I – Tapis Marocains I

Oil on canvas board, 1993, Vienna (27.9×35.5 cm
Huile sur toile carton?e, 1993, Vienne (27.9×35.5 cm)

Marc Eliany – Pilgrimage

Moroccans are devoted to pilgrimage. Pilgrims plead their saints to intercede on their behalf to have their wishes fulfilled: good health, a husband or a wife, fertility, a baby boy, a baby girl, good fortune, rain in season, abundant crops or a prosperous season in the markets.

I was also impressed by the admiration of the Moroccan people to their kings, especially to the deceased Moulay Youssef. It equals saintly reverence.

In my painting, Loyal Followers, royalty and sainthood unite to suggest a holy place, a crown, the protecting eye of a benevolent king, perhaps a saint and a colorfully-dressed crowd of loyal followers.

Le p?lerinage – Marc Eliany

Les veux des p?lerins rassemblent les Marocains autour des tombes des saints. On cherche le salut,

le pardon est accord?? et des promesses sont formul?es. Taill?s sur les arbres ou grav?s dans un rocher, des v?ux de longue date:? un poisson pour la fertilit?, une main,? un ?il pour prot?ger du mal, le rouge pour le sacrifice et le vert pour l’abondance.

Pour les Marocains, le p?lerinage est une d?votion. Les p?lerins prient leurs saints d?interc?der en leur faveur, ou que leurs v?ux soient exauc?s: une bonne sant?, un homme ou une femme ? marier,

la fertilit?, une fille, un gar?on, la bonne fortune, la pluie en saison, des moissons abondantes ou une bonne saison au march?.

Royal Cavalryman Riding a Wave

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (70 x 90 cm)
Cavalier royal Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (70 x 90 cm)
Royal Cavalryman Riding a Wave -Marc Eliany

In Royal Cavalryman Riding a Wave, green and red, the colors of the Moroccan flag, and royal guards riding horses? wearing ceremonial uniforms come to mind. Since my childhood, I remember a guard dressed in a colorful uniform, a red vest, black bottoms, a green tunic and snow white gloves, smiling at me.

I painted the guard riding what may be a horse or a wave, because I love the color of the Mediterranean Sea in Rabat and because of the respect I have for Moulay Youssef and his Majesty Hassan II, the kings of Morocco, masters of consensus, who overcame social and ethnic differences.

Pilgrims? Wishes in Green on Red

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (40 x 60 cm)

Les veux en vert et rouge
Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (40 x 60 cm)
Pilgrims’ wishes – Marc Eliany

Pilgrims’ wishes bring Moroccans together around the tombs of saints. There, salvation is sought, forgiveness is granted and promises are made. Carved on a tree or a rock are timeless wishes: a fish for fertility, a hand, an eye to guard against evil, red for sacrifice and green for abundance.

Chasing Spirits in Blue

Oil on canvas board, 1993, Vienna (50.8 x 60.9 cm)
Dance nocturne en bleu
Huile sur toile carton?e, 1993, Vienne (50.8 x 60.9 cm)
Holy Grounds – Marc Eliany

When pilgrims stepped on holy grounds, the presence of saints inhabited them, their hair stood, prayers and wishes came out of their mouths as if they knew them by heart from some old and ancient time. And when a bird flew over a tomb or when a rain suddenly fell from above, pilgrims filled with joy:

“The saint is here!
The saint has come!
To bless
To cure,
Grant wishes, and
Hearts desires!”

And the pilgrims dipped their hands in the saints’ water and spread it on their eyes and lips and ears and every other part of their body craving for a cure. They went to the saints full of anxieties and left happy and content that all their wishes would be fulfilled…

Marc Eliany – Gates of Welcome – L’arche de la tolerance

My ancestors lived in the Maghreb for many centuries. In our collective memory, this land is associated with shelter and warm neighborly relations, in spite of trying times. This fact was confirmed time and time again. In my own pilgrimages to Morocco, I am welcomed like a brother returning from a long trip.

Open doors and windows, in typical vivid Moroccan colors, convey in my work welcome and warmth, self-examination and yearning for tolerance.

Gates of Welcome in Red ?????

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna
(70 x 100 cm) L’arche de la tolerance Huile sur toile,
1993, Vienne (70 x 100 cm) L’arche de la tolerance
Marc Eliany

Les portes et les fen?tres ouvertes, aux couleurs vives typiquement marocaines, sont un message d?accueil et de chaleur, le regard sur soi-m?me et le d?sir de tol?rance. Pendant plusieurs si?cles, mes anc?tres ont v?cu dans le Maghreb. Dans notre m?moire collective, cette terre est associ?e au refuge, aux relations chaleureuses, malgr? l?exp?rience de p?riodes difficiles. Au Maroc, je suis le bienvenu, tel un fr?re revenant d’un long voyage.

Tower in Yellow and Red – Tour en Jaune et Rouge

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (70 x 90 cm)
Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (70 x 90 cm)

In Waves

Marc Eliany

In waves, my ancestors found their way to the Maghreb. They were merchants in boats sailing along the coast of Africa, warriers chasing fleeing Canaanites but mostly refugees escaping the persecution of Egyptians, Persians, Babylonians, Greeks,Romans, Arabs and Christians. And wave after wave, in spite of reoccuring hardship, they made the Maghreb their home.

Gates of Welcome in Turquoise and White – L’arche de la tolerence en blanc

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (70 x 90 cm)
Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (70 x 90 cm)

My house in ruins
Marc Eliany
Drink up,
My love.
Fill my cup!
Let me drink
My sorrow.
For my house
Is in ruins
And the heavens
Remain still.

Gates of Welcome in Red on Yellow – L’arche de la tolerence en rouge et jaune

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (70 x 90 cm)
Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (70 x 90 cm)
Red like my tears – Marc Eliany

Wine
Red
Like my tears
For my loss
For my beloved
In ruins.

The Refuge – Le refuge

Oil on canvas, 1993, Vienna (70 x 90 cm)
Huile sur toile, 1993, Vienne (70 x 90 cm)

• Gates of Welcome
• Pilgrimage
• Markets
• Lovers
• Moroccan Landscapes

Eroba is Europe for a Moroccan and Eroba Eroba is a view of Europe from a non-European perspective. The exhibition was sponsored by the Zurich Kosmos Corporation in Vienna Austria in May-July 1997. It was a high profile exhibition with 500 poster on billboards all over the city. Here is one of the poster on the Kertner Ring.

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