Women in a Time of War

Figure 1.

Thaira Al-Mayyahy, Women in a Time of War, 2013.

I painted this image in 2013, during a time of war. Though military operations had stopped by that time, civil war was raging in Iraq at the location where I painted this image. I believe that women are those most affected by war: as mothers, wives, lovers, daughters, or sisters. During wartime they are the ones who worry, wait, and feel sad for their sons, husbands, brothers, or lovers. In my paintings I focus on representing the psychological states women experience in times of war, particularly their suffering.

Women in a Time of War is about the tragedy of an Iraqi woman during war. Because of societal traditions and norms, she could not marry the man she loved. Instead, she had an arranged marriage. Meanwhile, she learned that her lover had died in the war. In the painting the woman is consoled by female friends, who believe that she is mourning her son. The bereaved woman tells them that she is mourning her lover, who was much dearer to her than her own son.