Chaouki Chamoun is one of the Middle East's most renowned artists. Born in Sariine Tahta, the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon in 1942, he studied architectural drawing at night school, then joined the Lebanese University where he won art scholarships to Syracuse University and later to New York University. Through more than thirty oneman shows and over fifty group exhibitions, his work has continuously evolved in search of a new aesthetic vocabulary. With over 300 plates to illustrate his story, Chamoun leads us through his own artistic journey, showing how the schools of the modern era have informed his technique and imagery, and how he has been motivated and inspired as much by the tiniest details of a pebble as by the political turmoil visited on his homeland. Going beyond a record of his life and art, this book delves into what drives an artist to create.