in the Muslim Arab world, imagery, especially of humans, but not allowed. although many folk artists, as well as fine artists, ignored that dictum. but wildly rendered, almost illegible calligraphy, was allowed. in fact, it was venerated. as the viewer deciphered the text, somewhat like unraveling a drawer of loose string, the message became known. contemplation was rewarded with knowledge.
today i came across two good examples of the stretching of tradition, leading to beautiful abstractions.
the Arab artist is Helen Abbas, a contemporary Syrian artist. the Asian artist is Hong Zhu An, a contemporary Chinese artist.
i hope you enjoy their work. we discuss many artist’s work in our weekly Focus On Abstraction Zoom meeting on artistvenu. i look forward to seeing you there!