Sherif Sonbol Explained

Sherif Sonbol
Birth Name:	Sherif Sonbol
Birth Date:	6 December 1956
Birth Place:	Giza, Egypt
Nationality:	Egyptian
Field:	Photography
Training:	Autodidact

Sherif Sonbol (6 December 1956 – 24 December 2023) was an Egyptian photographer specialising in architecture, scenic fine arts, and photojournalism.

Early life

Sherif Sonbol was born in Giza, Cairo, Egypt on 6 December 1956.

Sonbol studied insurance at Cairo University and attended the Chartered Insurance Institute in London. He worked for the Egyptian Reinsurance Company as a marine underwriter. Around 1988 Sonbol decided to pursue one of his passions -photography- and tried his luck at Al-Ahram, where he soon started working as a freelancer.^[1]

Career

It only took a few months for him to become a full-time photographer at Al-Ahram under the auspices of Antoun Albert.^[2]

Although achieving professional goals and popularity at Al-Ahram, at a certain point Sonbol saw the need of leaving the newspaper in order to be recruited by the American Embassy's as official photographer. This position did not occur but still the American Embassy employed him in its computer department as graphic designer and computer trainer for newcomers,^[3]

Sonbol managed to combine these roles with his work in the New Cairo Opera House, where he had been taking pictures since it opened its doors in 1988. Eventually Sonbol resigned his place at the American Embassy and returned to Al-Ahram; this time to the Al-Ahram Weekly.

Sonbol stayed six years as main photographer of Kalam-El-Nass. In his last year there, the Maraya-El-Nass magazine project^[4] saw the light. This was an interior design magazine belonging to the same group as Kalam-El-Nass. The project's key artistic responsibilities were to be writer Moguib Rushdi and himself, so he was fully transferred to the new magazine. Here too he managed to "shake the foundations of Egyptian interior photography with his use of natural light".^[5]

Later in life, Sonbol managed to combine his responsibilities as chief photographer in Al-Ahram Weekly ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} and in the Cairo Opera House ^[10] with other projects.

As a freelancer, he occasionally contributed to other publications — including Kalam-El-Nass. He participated in photography campaigns and other job assignments too. He also collaborated with important cultural centers such as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.^[11] His work has been displayed in various exhibits ^{[12] [13] [14]} worldwide and has been the subject of a doctoral thesis^{[15] [16]}

Sonbol gave seminars at AFCA (Académie Francophone Cairote des Arts) and taught photography at the Ahram Canadian University. ^[17] since 2008.

Through one of his later freelance projects, Sonbol tried to bring Western and Arabic cultures closer together in order to promote a better understanding and communication.^[18]

Death

Sonbol died on 24 December 2023, at the age of 67.^[19]

Technique and style

• One of Sonbol's trademarks was his use of natural available light; a technique he developed under the encouragement of Antoun Albert.^[20]
• An acute sense of timing is also characteristic of his images. This is especially evident in his ballet shots and The New York Times referred to it as "a particularly agile eye" adding that "Even when Sonbol concentrates on stillness, he exemplifies Martha Graham's adage that a pause is not a pose but "an act of accomplishment" ".^[21] Sonbol developed his eye for dance under the supervision of Erminia Gambarelli Kamel, former prima ballerina and currently artistic director of the Cairo Opera House Ballet.

Critical reception

"Nothing is more beautiful than to express art through art…" -Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel Laureate^[22]

"Rare is the photographer who looks at a familiar art form and shows it in a new light. But Sherif Sonbol’s stunning and revelatory dance photographs [show] a particularly agile eye… apt to shoot from a catwalk above the stage or from the wings, frequently abstracting shapes into dynamic and explosive bursts of color." -Anna Kisselgoff, New York Times

"An artist has reached the pinnacle of his profession when his work can be recognised without his signature being written…" -Mounir Kenaan, leading Egyptian painter^{[23] [24]}

Books

^[25]

• Opera 1988–1993, (Cairo Opera House 1993)
• Aida, (Cairo Opera House 1999)^[26]
• Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten : Nefertiti : Tutankhamen, (Bullfinch & Boston Museum for Fine Arts 1999, &) Contributor.
• Swan Lake for Children, (Cairo Opera House, 2000)
• Mulid! Carnivals of Faith, (AUC, 2001, &)
• Mamluk Art: The Splendor and Magic of the Sultans (Museum with No Frontiers & Transatlantic, 2001, &)
• The Pharaohs, (Bompiani Arte & Thames and Hudson, 2002,) Main contributor.
• Der Turmbau Zu Babel – Ursprung und Vielfalt von Sprache und Schrift (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien & Skira, 2003, &) Contributor.
• 40 Pyramids of Egypt and their neighbors, (Cyperus, 2005,)
• 40 Pyramids of Egypt and their neighbors, Arabic version (Al Hayaa Al Masriya Al-Aama Lel Ketab, 2005,)
• Egyptian Palaces and Villas, (Abrams Inc & AUC, 2006, &)
• The Churches of Egypt: From the Journey of the Holy Family to the Present Day, (AUC, 2007, &). Second edition, AUC, 2012
• Arts of the City Victorious (Yale University, 2008, &) Main contributor.
• Christianity and Monasticism in Wadi al-Natrun: Essays from the 2002 International Symposium of the Saint Mark Foundation and the Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society, Edited by Maged S.A. Mikhail & Mark Moussa, (AUC, 2009,) Cover image.
• Opera 1988–2008 (Cairo Opera House, 2009) ^[27]
• Al-Tahra Palace, A Gem in a Majestic Garden (CULTNAT / Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 2009,)
• The Nile Cruise, an Illustrated Journey (AUC, 2010, &)
• Wonders of the Horus Temple: The Sound and Light of Edfu (AUC, 2011, &). Introduction by Zahi Hawass
• The History and Religious Heritage of Old Cairo: Its Fortress, Churches, Synagogue, and Mosque (AUC, 2013, &)

External links

• Sherif Sonbol website
• Al Ahram Weekly
• Ahram Online
• Cairo Opera House

Notes and References

1. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/660/cu6.htm Al-Ahram Weekly October 2003
2. http://www.cultnat.org/Programs/folklore/Publications/Documents/130/nuba.htm Cultnat on Antoun Albert
3. At that time (early-mid '80s) the use of computers and word processors was not as widespread as it is nowadays.
4. An unsuccessful advertisement strategy resulted in Maraya-El-Nass having to close its doors a few years later.
5. Afaaf Abu Zaahr & Ghada Abu Zahr, editors of "Mirrors" and Kalam-El-Nass magazines
6. Besides his regular photojournalism assignments, he is in charge of the main photograph of the Pack of Cards section of the newspaper (usually providing the image or selecting other relevant photographs) and also occasionally contributing with articles.
7. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/983/fe3.htm "A Nubian Journey (Al-Ahram Weekly January–February 2010)"
8. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/994/pe1.htm "Pack of Cards"
9. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/483/tr1.htm "The Boundless Frontier (Al-Ahram Weekly May 2000)"
10. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1998/398/special.htm Cairo Opera House 10th anniversary exhibit review
11. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/926/sc1.htm Bibliotheca Alexandrina "Ecclesiastical Spirituality" exhibit
12. Currently his work is on display, for example, in the Museum With No Frontiers exhibit "Mamluk Art: The Splendor of the Sultans"
13. 2012 Exhibit in Poland: article from "Nisf el Dunia", in Arabic
14. 2012 Exhibit in Poland: article from "Ahram Online", in English
15. Eszter Dobay, The Hungarian Moholy-Nagy Academy of Arts. Thesis title: “On the portrayal of movement/action in photography”
16. Paula van Akkeren, Amsterdam. Thesis titles: “What is the role of photography in Egypt” and “The relation between photography and art”
17. http://www.acu.edu.eg/ Ahram Canadian University´s official website
18. The project is moving slowly given the difficulty of finding proper sponsors.
19. News: Ezzat . Dina . Obituary: Veteran Al-Ahram photographer Sherif Sonbol passes away at 67 . 25 December 2023 . Ahram Online . 24 December 2023.
20. http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6341 Egypt Today February 2006
21. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/01/arts/photographer-s-brilliant-solos-inspired-by-the-dance.html New York Times October 2003
22. http://www.alraimedia.com/alrai/ Alrai Alaa Newspaper
23. Featured in Sonbol's catalogues, this special message was originally delivered by Mounir Kenaan's wife, author Sanaa El-Beissy.
24. In 2001, Mounir Kenaan wrote: “A real artist is when you can recognize his work, without seeing his signature. Sonbol’s photos are like that. When I see a photo taken by Sherif Sonbol, I know immediately it’s his, without seeing his name. He surpassed the impossible. Sonbol, whose endless passion and near-obsession for learning, it is no wonder that he is now the “master’ of all photography masters in ballet – " Al Masry Al Youm English edition article "The Camera Dancer"
25. Web site: Sherif Sonbol Photography. Sonbol. Sherif. www.sherifsonbol.com. 25 July 2018.
26. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1998/399/eg8.htm Al Ahram Weekly October 1998
27. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/953/special.htm Al Ahram Weekly July 2009