Iraq's suffering captured on canvas

A painting by Suad Al Attar

More than a decade of turmoil in her homeland and her personal life have provided her with plenty of raw material that has made its painstaking way onto canvas in her latest exhibition, Tears of an Ancient City.

Born in Iraq where she spent her formative years and established herself as a painter, Al Attar left for London in 1976, but has remained close links to her homeland, becoming the first female artist to have a solo exhibition in Baghdad. Her work hangs in the British Museum.

While her work initially explored Impressionist-style mystical and romantic themes, it was brought into sharp focus when tragedy struck close to home.

She says that in 1993 her sister Leila Al Attar -- then the director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Baghdad -- was killed alongside her family when the house they were staying was destroyed in a US attack on the Iraqi intelligence headquarters.

Her key themes of loss and longing inspired by this event and the ongoing violence in Iraq can be seen clearly in one of her latest paintings, The Cry, which she says attempts to capture the anguish and sorrow of a nation that has endured loss.

Despite the conflict, Al Attar longs to return to Iraq, to capture more peaceful images -- in particular the ancient city of Babylon.

Tears of an Ancient City will be exhibited at Leighton House Museum, London until June 15.