Ali Omar Ermes, born 1945, Zliten, Libya Search this
Medium:
Acrylic and ink on paper
Dimensions:
Frame: 105.4 x 133.4 x 7.6 cm (41 1/2 x 52 1/2 x 3 in.)
Type:
Painting
Geography:
Libya
Date:
1983
Label Text:
In this work, it is clear that painter Ali Omar Ermes finds great enjoyment in the act and the art of writing. Interested in deconstructing scripts and reducing them to their elemental forms, he was part of the generation of artists working in North Africa in the 1960s which sought to revolutionize calligraphy as an art form. "Because calligraphy traditionally recorded the word of God, as set down in the Qur'an, it was considered a sacramental art--the words themselves were thought to be embodiments of the Prophet Muhammad's blessings, or baraka. As such its strictures were tight."
Ermes' colorful paintings are filled with boldly contoured Arabic letters, which are reduced to dramatic, abstracted form. The central large form anchors this work and is surrounded by smaller, detailed scripts, some of which overlap with the larger letter. The artist says of this painting, "This is a very crowded piece with all sorts of maxims about literature and 'Hekemah' (wise thoughts); most have been attributed to knowledgeable people like Al Mutamir Ben Soleyman or Al Hakeem or Al-Ahnaf ibn-o Qays. For example, Al Ahnaf ibn-o Qays (8th century) describes the importance and the necessity of 'Al Adab', or training in ethics, art and moral science. Further, 'Al Adab is light to human mind, just as fire, in total darkness, is light for human eye.'"
Kreamer, Christine, Mary Nooter Roberts, Elizabeth Harney and Allyson Purpura. 2007. Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution; Milan: 5 Continents Editions, p. 208.
Description:
Acrylic and ink painting on paper featuring a central abstract Arabic script in red with smaller script surrounding and overlapping with it. Splashes of color adorn the overall brown background giving it a washed appearance.
Exhibition History:
Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 4, 2017-ongoing (deinstalled January 22, 2020)
Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, May 9- August 26, 2007; Fowler Museum at University of California, Los Angeles, October 14, 2007-February 17, 2008
Journeys and Destinations, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., January 31-November 30, 2003
Published References:
Kreamer, Christine, Mary Nooter Roberts, Elizabeth Harney and Allyson Purpura. 2007. Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution; Milan: 5 Continents Editions, pp. 124-125, no. 10.1.
Kreamer, Christine, Mary Nooter Roberts, Elizabeth Harney and Allyson Purpura. 2007. "Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art." African Arts 40 (3), p. 78, no. 1.
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