Youssef Saadallah Howayek ( ar, يوسف حويك; also Yusuf Huwayyik, Hoyek, Hoayek,

Hawayek The surname Howayek, Hoyek, Hawayek, Hayek (in Arabic حايك / حويّك / الحويّك) and its variants is an Arabic surname, common among the Maronite Catholics of Lebanon. The majority of the members live in three Lebanese towns Bdadoun, H ...

) (1883–1962) was a painter, sculptor and writer from

Helta Helta ( ar, حلتا) is a town in North Lebanon. People from Helta *Elias Peter Hoayek (1843–1931) *Saadallah Howayek (1853–) *Youssef Howayek Youssef Saadallah Howayek ( ar, يوسف حويك; also Yusuf Huwayyik, Hoyek, Hoayek, Hawaye ...

, in modern-day

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Career

Youssef Howayek's father,

Saadallah Howayek Saadallah Howayek ( ar, الحويك) (born 1853) was a politician from the Ottoman period. He lived in Helta, Lebanon and served in the Administration Council for Mount Lebanon between the years 1902 and 1907. Election to council Franko Pasha ...

, was a Councillor elected into the Ottoman Mutasarref's (Governor) Administrative Council. His grandfather was the village priest and his uncle was the Patriarch Howayek. He first travelled to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and studied the various forms of art. His first passion was for painting. Focusing on the cultural shock observed by a young Lebanese mountain dweller in contact with a major European city like Rome. He later moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to join Khalil Gibran who had come from the other side of the Atlantic.

Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran ( ar, جُبْرَان خَلِيل جُبْرَان, , , or , ; January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran (pronounced ), was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist ...

and Howayek had known each other from

, and became closer friends in Paris being from the same part of the world and the same age. They also had the same passion for painting and sculpture, studying art with

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

for two years (1909 and 1910). Ameen Rihani joined them in Paris for a short while. Also in Paris he met Isadora Duncan who bought two paintings from him for 500 French francs. In Paris, he is known to have socialised at Le Dome Cafe in Montparnasse. He writes in his memoirs that his favourite book was "Histoire des origines du Christianisme", by

Ernest Renan Joseph Ernest Renan (; 27 February 18232 October 1892) was a French Orientalist and Semitic scholar, expert of Semitic languages and civilizations, historian of religion, philologist, philosopher, biblical scholar, and critic. He wrote influe ...

. Youssef Howayek is known to have started translating Dante's

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

to Arabic. It is not known if he completed it.

Writings

“Gibran Khalil Gibran in Paris” Memories of Youssef Al Howayek: FMA, Paris 1995. Translated to French by Edvick Shayboub. Translated to English by Matti Moosa. Yusuf Huwayyik : Gibran in Paris (1976 Popular Library, NY)

Paintings

He painted the "Our Lady of Seven Sorrows" and "Christ in the Garden of Olives" and donated them to the

Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul The Company of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul ( la, Societas Filiarum Caritatis a Sancto Vincentio de Paulo), commonly called the Daughters of Charity or Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul, is a Society of Apostoli ...

, Paris.

Sculptures

* Sculpture of the Patriarch Elias Howayek * Sculpture of Youssef Bey Karam * Sculpture of Daoud Corm, the painter * Sculpture of the Vierge de Boulogne in 1938. * The first sculpture for Martyrs Square in Beirut (in 1916 the square was named Martyrs Square in tribute to the Lebanese nationalists executed by the Ottomans. The first Martyrs' Monument is of two women, a Muslim and a Christian. It is now exhibited in Sursok Museum garden.) "''The soul is a heavenly flower that cannot live in the shade, but thorns can live everywhere.''" This is from a letter to Youssef Howayek from

in 1911. From Kahlil Gibrarn: A Self-Portrait. (FIUL, Citadel Press, 1959), p. 26. FLOWERS; MAN; SHADE; SOULS; THORNS 19870300

External links

* http://www.opuslibani.org.lb/liban/Dos003.htm * http://www.libanvision.com/batroun.htm * https://www.onefineart.com/artists/sculptors/Youssef-El-Howayek * http://www.rdl.com.lb/2000/3742/art1.html * http://www.rdl.com.lb/1999/3702/art1.html * https://www.kahlilgibran.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Howayek, Youssef Lebanese Maronites Lebanese writers 1883 births 1962 deaths Lebanese sculptors 20th-century Lebanese painters 20th-century Lebanese sculptors