Al-Qatt Al-Asiri is an ancient art form in the Asiri, or southern region of Saudi Arabia that is still being practiced today. These murals can be found at the entrance of a home, or even throughout the living areas and are typically painted by females. Women in the Asiri region are traditionally responsible for plastering and painting their homes' walls, corridors, and ceilings. The complexity of the design as well as variations of paint colors can also show the status of wealth, with the more affluent families having access to richer colors and skilled, trained linework (KSA). With poorer homes decorated in basic straight, simple lines in red, green, yellow, and brown. (Wikipedia 1). The Women of the house invite family and friends to join and they pass their knowledge and skills from generation to generation. It became quite competitive, with women in the same town trying to outdo one another with their skilled paintings.
Originally the paints were made from various materials found outside such as clay, grass, and flowers. Gypsum was used as a base. Brushes were created from goat hair. Now in modern times synthetic paints and brushes are used. Holidays or family gatherings are a time when the paintings are re-touched from fading or wear. It has since extended from interior walls to canvases, pottery, and various painted trinkets painted by women as a source of income.
Unfortunately, since these paintings are created by many women decorating their homes, the majority of the works accessed online are not credited. Fatimah Faye'e Alalmai, however, is a well-known artist and teacher of this specific art form and her training sessions have become very popular in the region. She trains students for 10 days per course and while it is traditionally done by women, men have also begun to learn the art as well. I really enjoy her designs, and her use of bold, happy colors. She plans out her designs, as you can see in the light pencil marks above, yet they still have a simple, freehand feel to them. The geometric shapes are inspired by the nature surrounding the area such as rocks, trees, and mountains. Repeating patterns are a key element in this style of art.
Another famous artist of the Asiri province was Fatima Abou Gahas. Fatima's mother painted the interior of their home and taught her daughter to paint as decoration, but Fatima became a widow with four young children and began to paint as a source of income. (wikipedia 2) This led her to become very well known, and she also taught this skill in workshops. Fatima did not use any guide or pre-planned designs. She said the therapeutic spontaneous painting allowed God to flow through her. I personally love the free-hand style and homemade feel to these designs. The repeating patterns and colors bring a sense of stability and comfort. The layers add to the stability, giving a sense of foundation to the works.
Luckily, Al-Qatt Al-Asiri is influencing other forms of art such as fashion design. Mamzi, a high-end clothing brand by Mariam Abdelghany has launched a modern line inspired by this traditional art. They keep with the traditional bold black outline and geometric shapes. The colors are natural, reflecting the traditional sources of paint pigments against the white gypsum.
I have also included a short video I found quite informative and easy to watch with some great examples of modern Al-Qatt Al-Asiri:
Bibliography:
KSA's World Heritage List - Al-Qatt Al-Asiri (ksaforunesco.org)
Al-Qatt Al-Asiri | Intangible Heritage - UNESCO Multimedia Archives
Kayla, thank you for your post. I like the bold colors and interesting patterns of the women's wall art paintings. The more modern use of these traditional patterns and style of this art translates beautifully to clothing design. The video was a perfect introduction into the art of Saudi Arabia.
ReplyDeleteKayla,
ReplyDeleteI am very impressed with this theme you selected, as I have never even heard of it before. I enjoyed reading all of the history you provided, for the art and each individual artist as well. I'd say the mural that I liked the most is the top right of Fatima's four paintings. I am attracted to its colors, especially the blue, and I love that it surrounds a window. In the bottom right corner of the picture, you can see how attentive the painter is to detail, with its small geometric shapes.
I really like each example you shared. I felt like it took too long to repaint my room a solid color with a roller so seeing the detail of this is amazing. I also love that each piece is unique and one of a kind really. The bright vibrant colors stand out giving what would otherwise be a blank room, some life.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a well done and thought out post. I never would of thought of this. I like everything about this and enjoy the art work too. I love patterns, It would be cool to see these from a entire home perspective, like with a table and chairs in the image - seeing it immersed into the home setting.
ReplyDeleteHello Kayla,
ReplyDeleteSaudi Arabian art is so amazing. The colors and patters are super cool. All of the patterns symmetric. It was very interesting to see Saudi Arabian artwork. I want to continue to look at non western artwork after this assignment. I really like how they incorporate fashion with art. The different colors pop out nicely with the all-white suit.