Last week, Alexandria-based Egyptian artist Ahmed El-Sabrouti received plenty of attention after posting a very interesting portraits album on the online portfolio site Behance.
Inspired by Coptic art, the album — titled 'The Egyptian Lullaby - Russia 2018' — features pictures of stars from the Egyptian national football team.
The modern term used to describe this type of naturalistic painted representation on wooden boards is 'Fayum portrait'. These portraits are ancient realistic depictions of the head and bust of the deceased, dating back to Roman Egypt.
Let's take a look at the 8 amazing pieces of Egyptian art:
1. West Bromwich Albion defender Ali Gabr
In his recent interview with Al-Dostour, artist Al-Sabrouti said that the reason for him to choose the Coptic art lies in the fact that it is the first, oldest, and the most important attempt of any ancient artists to draw realistic portraits.
2. Egypt's legendary 45-year-old goalkeeper Essam El Hadary
El Hadary has won the African Cup of Nations an impressive four times and is the oldest player at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
3. Arsenal F.C. midfielder Mohamed Elneny
4. Mahmoud Abdel Razek Hassan Fadlallah, commonly known as 'Shikabala'
5. Amr Warda, who was named the 'Foreign Player Of The Year' in the Greek Super league
6. And of course, the Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah...
7. Let's not forget Héctor Cúper, the manager of the team
8. And last but never least, the artist turned the World Cup logo into a colourful Ankh, which is the ancient Egyptian key of life
The Egyptian national team will play its last game in Russia against Saudi Arabia today in the hope to avoid the last place in Group A.
Best of luck to both teams!
