Beirut (CNN) -- At first glance, the brightness of the colors might just be enough to fool the casual viewer. But this abstract scene in "Play in the City" isn't a cheerful one. Pain infuses this painting. "Here's a person who wants to kill another person," says artist Anas Homsi, as he points towards a menacing figure in the composition, "And here's a person who wants to defend this person from being killed. " Homsi's canvas is inspired by conflict - namely, the brutal civil war raging in his homeland of Syria. It's just one of several works on display at the Joanna Seikaly Gallery in Beirut. In the exhibit, entitled "True Colors", Homsi along with two other Syrian artists, Wissam Shaabi and Fadi Al Hamwi, tackle warfare through works encompassing themes such as hope, survival and society.
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Syria's brutal civil war depicted in Beirut exhibition
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Artists say their work keeps them going through tough times
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Most galleries in Syria have closed
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Several Syrian artists who have fled the fighting have ended up in Lebanon
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