A poet, man of letters, and one of the most revered artists of the Iraqi modernist movement, he studied painting, engraving and theatrical scenography. He combined his literary interests with symbolism, focusing on the pan-Arab identity, which led him to create work on the history of his country, representing it in his poetic and pictorial works. Through the story of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, he forged an allegorical parallel between the suffering of a spiritual guide and that of the entire Iraqi people under the dictatorship.
