"Colors of Nubia by Armgard Goo Grauer presents house decoration, wall painting, and their cultural context in the Egyptian part of Nubia before 1964. It recalls the astonishing yet relatively little known art of house decoration in former Nubia, comprising expressive wall paintings and three dimensional ornamental interior design created by women. The book with documentary character contains several hundred previously unpublished photos taken by the author during her fieldwork in the earlier 1960s. The tradition of Nubian house decoration was discontinued after the traumatic relocation due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1964, the adverse impacts of which still manifest today. Nubian house decorations fulfilled status representation, beautification, protection, and apotropaic purposes. The art form, which was unique in the area, covered a wide spectrum of motifs and styles. Plants, animals, humans, and daily objects were the most common themes. Many paintings were embedded in Nubian folk beliefs; they intended to provide blessing or ban the evil eye. However, they also contained contemporary influences and aspirations of women, offering an exceptional window into the mindset of Nubian women before 1964. Due to extensive male labor migration, the women living in isolated villages maintained the Nubian language and traditions and achieved a remarkable degree of self determination. Their creativity expressed in the wall paintings presented in this publication contributed significantly to theiridentity"--
An intimate historical portrait of the women of Nubia and their unique house decorations including over 400 full color and black and white photographs
Between 1960 and 1970 the building of the Aswan Dam led to the creation of a lake that drowned the Nubian villages of Upper Egypt. The Nubian population were forced to leave their villages and hamlets and relocated to the north. The tradition of Nubian house decoration was discontinued after this traumatic relocation, the adverse impacts of which are still manifest today.
In this rich account of Nubian women and their house decorations, Armgard Goo-Grauer offers a beautifully photographed narrative of the way the Nubians of Upper Egypt lived before their villages were destroyed. She paints an intimate portrait of women engaged in household tasks, preparing feasts, and performing in the female world of religion and spirituality, and illustrates how decoration of the home fulfilled the purposes of beautification, representation, and protection. The art form, which was unique in the area, covered a wide spectrum of motifs and styles—plants, animals, humans, designs, patterns, and daily objects. Many paintings were embedded in Nubian folk beliefs; and were intended to provide blessing or ban the evil eye. However, they also contained contemporary influences and aspirations of women, offering an exceptional window into the mindset of Nubian women before 1964, who maintained the Nubian language and traditions and achieved a remarkable degree of self-determination.
