Wadi Rumm TE Lawrence Augustus John

Wadi Rumm TE Lawrence Augustus John

Wadi Rumm TE Lawrence Augustus John : Dawn at Wadi Rumm. Watching the sun rise over the horizon. Magical. Other-worldly.

Listening to Maurice Jarre’s score for David Lean’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ on a mesa overlooking Wadi Rumm,

… it was not difficult to imagine both the presence of the 1917 hero and the 1962 film crew capturing the drama and excitement.

Balfour, Sykes and Picot apart, reading his ‘Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ and ‘Revolt in the Desert’, Lawrence genuinely believed he was endeavouring to gain the Arabs their independence. How betrayed he must have felt.

This emotion can be seen in Augustus John’s poignant capturing of his image as he gazed out of a London window to watch a victory parade pass below.

This drawing of 30 lines was brilliantly executed whilst John was painting his more formal portrait.

The eyes tell it all, the windows to the soul. The sadness, the trauma, the confusion even bitterness at how he had become a victim to the Empire establishment, as had the Arabs. It is almost as though he could foresee the trouble and turmoil for the region that we still experience today.

As a token tribute to Wadi Rumm, the Bedouin tribes, John and of course Lawrence, I’ve placed TEL’s image on my snapshot taken that dawn in the desert.

Enjoy the video …