Google Doodle It’s About Naziha Salim, One of Iraq’s Most Influential Painters

The doodle is a tribute to Salim’s painting style and her contribution to the art. It is a mix of two images — Salim with a brush and her work which always highlighted rural Iraqi women and peasant life through bold brush strokes and vivid colors.

Google paid a tribute Saturday (April 23, 2022) via its Doodle artwork to Naziha Salim, a painter, professor and one of the most influential artists in Iraq’s contemporary art scene. On this day in 2020, Naziha’s work was highlighted by the Barjeel Art Foundation in their collection of female artists.

The doodle is a tribute to Salim’s painting style and her contribution to the art. It is a mix of two images — Salim with a brush and her work which always highlighted rural Iraqi women and peasant life through bold brush strokes and vivid colors.

Born into a family of Iraqi artists in Turkey, Salim enjoyed making her own art from an early age. She was enrolled into the Baghdad Fine Arts Institute where she studied painting and graduated with distinction. Owing to her hardwork and passion for art, she became one of the first women to be awarded a scholarship to continue her education in Paris at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. In Paris, Salim specialized in fresco and mural painting. After graduating, she spent several years abroad, immersing herself in art and culture.

Eventually she returned to Baghdad to work at the Fine Arts Institute where she would teach until retirement. She was active in Iraq’s arts community and one of the founding members of Al-Ruwwad, a community of artists that study abroad and incorporate European art techniques into the Iraqi aesthetic. Salim has also authored the book Iraq: Contemporary Art, an important resource for the early development of the country’s modern art movement.

Today’s Google Doodle also celebrates St. George day by remembering England’s patron saint St. George, who is famous from legends that depict him slaying a dragon in order to save a princess.