Abstract

This article explores Palestinians’ representations in visual art of the existential crisis they faced following the destruction of Palestinian society during the 1948 War, known as the Nakba. The article explores how this colossal event has been conveyed artistically, and discusses artworks that revolve around Palestinians’ subsequent states of being, which are represented by two main motifs, the ‘good Arab’ and the cactus tree. In particular, it assesses how these motifs were used to convey varied, and even opposite, states of being and consciousness, as well as survival strategies, that go beyond commonplace views and perceptions about Palestinians in Israel after 1948. Moreover, this article discusses how the allegorical language of these artworks augments their meanings and might open a window into the world of the Palestinians, who lack archives, official historical narratives, and institutions of remembrance.

摘要

本文探讨了巴勒斯坦人在视觉艺术中对他们在 1948 年战争期间巴勒斯坦社会遭到破坏后所面临的生存危机的表现，这被称为大灾难。文章探讨了这一巨大事件是如何以艺术方式传达的，并讨论了围绕巴勒斯坦人随后的存在状态展开的艺术作品，这些艺术作品以“好阿拉伯人”和仙人掌树两个主要主题为代表。特别是，它评估了这些主题如何被用来传达各种甚至相反的存在和意识状态以及生存策略，这些状态超越了对 1948 年后以色列巴勒斯坦人的普遍看法和看法。此外，本文讨论了如何这些艺术品的寓言语言增强了它们的意义，并可能为巴勒斯坦人的世界打开一扇窗户，