Silman Mansour, Perseverance and Hope, 1976, Oil on canvas, 99.2 x 79.5 cm.

Silman Mansour is one of the most recognized Palestinian artists working today. He studied fine arts at Bezalel Art Academy in Jerusalem, and his work centers around the Palestinian identity (through cultural symbols) and the Palestine struggle.
Following the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, many Palestinians lost their homes and land, becoming permanently displaced. Mansour’s work is a response to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, and a visual expression of the concept of Sumud (steadfastness), the continuing endurance of the struggle despite hardship.
At the front of the painting we see three central figures, two men and a woman, in traditional Palestinian dress with their hands tied behind their backs. Standing still and strong, they look above them at an abstract image of a shimmering dove, symbolizing peace and hope. The dove hovers above the the central figure, a woman in traditional Palestinian embroidery. The figure of a Palestinian woman is symbolic as the mother figure of Palestine, giving birth and protection to the Palestinian people.
Behind them, in the top third of the painting we see an older couple in traditional dress fleeing military tanks and bulldozers tearing down their traditional houses, people forced into labor, heading towards the back where plain modern buildings are being erected. Two figures, one with covered eyes and the other with their mouth covered with a piece of cloth, standing in front of a cluster of tents that represent the refugee camps. Contributor: Abdulrahman Alkubaisi