A certain School of Western art critics say that Arabic
Calligraphy and Abstract art developed in the Islamic Sphere
since figurative representation is forbidden by Sharia.
Arabs and Muslims art specialists do not agree and argue
that Islamic Civilization has naturally opted by
abstraction, Arabic language is directed towards the ease of
abstraction, Mathematics that Arabs have substantially
developed work specifically with abstraction…
Concluding
thus that abstraction seems rather an inner quality of
Islamic Civilization rather than an imposed law; it’s more a
cause than an effect, it is action and not reaction.
Arabic Calligraphy gives an excellent illustration of this
abstract dimension in artistic expression, and shows the
infinity of doors that abstraction logically opens. Doors
opening on the infinite too... A good example is given by
Artist Ali Hassan who usually works with a single Arabic
alphabet letter, varying it in each work, and suggesting
that there are still non-ending variations. Tone over tone,
as clothes stylists say and variations on the same theme as
art critics say… In this Arabic Calligraphy Exhibition, Ali
Hassan worked with the Arabic letter “N”, we don’t know if
there’s a specific significance or if it’s just a random
choice! The Qatari Ali Hassan doesn’t need to show his
business card, this internationally famous artist was
selected by UNESCO among 60 artists from all over the world
to design 230 engravings artwork.
Another Qatari Artist, Yousef Ahmad works with exquisite
warm brown colors to express a movement of letters. Not only
letter is a sign itself, but when Yousef Ahmad works with
it, he gives to it an even more abstract dimension… The eye
doesn’t see the Arabic letters anymore, but only its path,
its traces and its movement in cubic geometric lines.
Saleh Ahmad Al-Obaidly is also a Qatari artist who exhibits
his Calligraphic works. We are here in a world of contrasts
and color power where dark pink stands near green pistachio
and where dark blue may enlace with no problem the
neighboring bright yellow. But how all this is orchestrated
and what links these colors among them? Well, letters of
course, it’s a Calligraphy exhibition!
The exhibition is not exclusively made of paintings, there
are also works where volume and three dimensional perception
is more evident: ceramics with engraved letters made by
Qatari Talal Nayef Al-Qasimi, and Iraqi Wessam Al-Haddad,
and the unique masterpieces of the Tunisian Fateh Bin Amer
Ph.D, the active member of Tunisian Fine Art Union.
A beautiful pan-Arab exhibition with artists from many
countries: Qatar, Tunisia, Syria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia,
Iraq, Oman and Egypt.
If you already know Arabic Calligraphy, this exhibition
invites you to deepen your approach and see the current
trends, and if you don’t know much about Arabic Calligraphy,
here is a golden occasion to get acquainted with those
magnificent lines that gave birth many centuries ago to what
is called Arabesques.
