An untitled 1978 watercolor by Madiha Umar recalls Arabic letter forms as well as ancient Mesopotamian crescent moons. Credit… Barjeel Art Foundation.
I once had to choose Arabic or Greek, the sole elective, in a course of study. It made a lot of difference in what I did next. I enthuse time and again over instances of letters lateraled into graven imagery in whatever tongue.
With its lacy interlocking and dotty swoopiness, Arabic script cries out to be pictured. A culture that scripturally abjures the human image has vented itself gloriously in calligraphic fashion. These artists take tradition to modern lengths.
An untitled piece by the Egyptian artist Omar el-Nagdi from 1970 shares its form with the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Credit… Barjeel Art Foundation.
Most of these artists had some European or American training, and alongside unusual sandy palettes and a few unexpected details, you’ll see plenty of approaches that look familiar: lucid colors à la Josef Albers, crimson bursts of impasto similar to early Abstract Expressionism. But unlike European artists, they also have an alphabet with an ancient history in visual art — and this gives their abstraction a very different effect.
An untitled oil by Wijdan from 1970. “Each little dash, like a letter, insists on its granular distinctness, whatever their overall effect,” our critic says. Credit… Barjeel Art Foundation.
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.
EthicalDative 
Alphabeticalism
I once had to choose Arabic or Greek, the sole elective, in a course of study. It made a lot of difference in what I did next. I enthuse time and again over instances of letters lateraled into graven imagery in whatever tongue.
With its lacy interlocking and dotty swoopiness, Arabic script cries out to be pictured. A culture that scripturally abjures the human image has vented itself gloriously in calligraphic fashion. These artists take tradition to modern lengths.
Most of these artists had some European or American training, and alongside unusual sandy palettes and a few unexpected details, you’ll see plenty of approaches that look familiar: lucid colors à la Josef Albers, crimson bursts of impasto similar to early Abstract Expressionism. But unlike European artists, they also have an alphabet with an ancient history in visual art — and this gives their abstraction a very different effect.
(Will Heinrich, “How the Arabic Alphabet Inspired Abstract Art,” NYTimes, 2-20-20)
(c) 2020 JMN
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About JMN
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.