Latest edition features Abdul Qader Al Rais, a godfather of Emirati fine arts.
Abdul Qader Al Rais, godfather of Emirati fine arts who is known for his magical mastery of kaleidoscopic color, started his childhood in colorless poverty.
“All you could find then was black, and maybe just a bit of blue paint,” recalled the man whose versatility with the paintbrush for almost 60 years created masterpieces of what can best be described as magical realism.
“The abandoned, the alone, the cracks, the curves, and the shadows all mesmerized me, and I had to capture them somehow and gently bring out the magic in them.”
— Abdul Qader Al Rais
The artist would transform relics of architecture, such as an abandoned traditional window with flower carvings, a wooden traditional Emirati door with geometric symbols, a pearl diving or fishing dhow boat—once symbolic of the heart of the nation—and wind towers known as Barjeel, into magnificent dream-like pieces reminiscent of imagined settings from the mythical tales of the beloved Arabian One Thousand and One Nights.
For the rest of the interrview, visit this month's Ithraeyat Magazine at https://ithraeyat.ithra.com/editions/doors/serenity-of-doors-and-sensitivity-of-letters-1
For a PDF of the latest and past editions Ithraeyat, visit https://www.aramcolife.com/en/publications/ithra-magazine
— The Arabian Sun: July 23, 2024