Who would have thought that eternal feelings are born from the sole source of the imagination to draw characters and tell new stories with, in the end, a beautiful love story, whose love at first sight started from a painting drawn by a talent imbued with art and aesthetics?
The artist did not imagine that his picture, which he had certainly painted with great passion, would be the prelude to a romantic encounter that turned his life upside down and took him far from his native country. Neither did he know that a simple drawing made of shapes, lines and colors would strike a woman’s heart so much that she did not hesitate to bond with her destiny for eternity.
He knew that a word, a look or a perfume could attract a woman, but he was far from thinking that a still life would have so much impact and seduction on the sensitive being who would become, a little later, the partner and the spouse of a lifetime.
The man in question here is Salah Djebbar, a child of Kais, a town located in the Aures (Algeria), is the painter who has known this fabulous destiny thanks to the brushstrokes given to a drawing canvas.
The other character in this very real love story is Anne. This young girl, of French nationality, who came to visit her sister residing in Douéra in the suburbs of Algiers, is
the one who made this shattering intrusion into Salah’s life to become his beloved wife.
Neither did she know that a trivial artistic event would be the source of a strong bond and undying love. She too was overwhelmed by her stay in Algiers, during which an encounter with art completely changed her life.
But how did fate bring these two characters together in a very real fairy tale?
During her presence in the Algerian capital, Anne, who was fond of plastic arts, went one day to an exhibition organized at the Palace of Culture in the city of Algiers. It was during the year 1990.
While there, as she looked at the works on display, a portrait particularly caught her attention. She stood in front of this painting for a long time, making no gesture as if she was hypnotized by the gaze of the depicted person. She was, in fact, surprised by the striking resemblance between her own person and the character depicted in it. The same face, the same complexion, the same features, the same expression … it looks like she was looking at herself in a mirror.
She was delighted but also astonished and dumbfounded. How could a painter manage to create a portrait that looked like her?. Does she have a double here in Algeria that the author has reproduced in this portrait?
So many questions that tormented her mind, especially since she was neither known nor publicized by magazines or other television channels. How is it that her image ended up there to line the walls of an exhibition in a country that is not hers ?.
There are certainly paintings inspired by the imagination that could refer to very real people, but here in this portrait, the resemblance is such that one would rather believe in a photograph than a work made by hands, skillful they were. and professional.
She had to have an explanation. She then went to meet Salah the author of this portait to try to understand how she came to be in his imagination when he had never seen her before.
It was just a coincidence but a happy coincidence as it quickly turned into a romantic relationship. So a simple work of art sealed the fate of these two people who left to live together the rest of their lives.
But Salah was not present, he was unable to make the trip to the capital due to health problems.
His artist friends Djaâfri, Bouzidi and Naceri who also participated in this cultural event, did not fail, back in Khenchela, to inform him of the impact of his works which greatly seduced the Algerian public. that he was not there, he had stolen the limelight from his fellow painters during this artistic activity.
In 1990, he was invited, once again, to Algiers, this time to participate in another exhibition organized at the palace of culture in the capital. And this is where one of his works ended up completely transforming his life.
This painting of a portrait was, in fact, the essential element that brought him closer to the woman of his dreams. It was through this work that he met the beloved being with whom he will live henceforth and for eternity.
This sensitive being was Anne. This young woman decided, after being seduced by the portrait, to buy it at an extremely advanta
geous price. In addition, she invited Salah to come to France to exhibit her works.
He accepted and went there the following year. But beforehand and to raise the money for the trip, he sold, according to the testimony of his student and nonetheless professor of visual arts Bouzidi, one of his precious paintings to a wealthy businessman from Khenchela for an amount of 10,000 dinars, a very high price at the time.
So he left to be near the one with whom he would now share his dreams and feelings. Anne proposed marriage to him as soon as he arrived, and they got together a few weeks later.
From their affair, they had no children, but they remained faithful to each other until death parted them one day in 2018.
She refuses to part with her husband’s remains
The painter Salah Djebbar suffered a lot during his youthful life in Algeria. According to some of his friends, he has been the victim of marginalization and exclusion several times. And yet, they testify, he has always responded to the call, often helping to decorate, with his paintings and frescoes, the walls of many places and administrative areas in Khenchela, the capital of his wilaya.
Indeed, since his birth on January 7, 1954 in Kais, Salah has not received the attention an artist of his talent deserves.
But it must be recognized that the news of his death caused a considerable stir in all Aurès. His relatives, friends and all his admirers in the region were saddened by the loss of this artist, and they even expressed a wish that he be buried at his home in his hometown of Kais.
But Anne, his wife, strongly objected. She refused to part with her husband’s body, and it was buried not far from the house where she lives.
Anne wanted, by this act, to remain faithful to him in life as in death. It was she who loved him so much and supported him a lot in the times when no one cared. She opened doors for him to exercise his talents, helping him to organize numerous exhibitions all over Europe.
She was so attached to him that she decided to buy her shrine near him, as if to say, «I will be by your side, Salah, even in the grave.»
Touching testimonials from friends
The disappearance of Salah Djebbar aroused immense sadness and consternation among those who knew him, especially since his death took place far from his family in a foreign country. We were even saddened by the loss of this man, so much he was appreciated by all for his great humility and his love for his country.
