Dr. Mazen Asfour

In spite of the differences visible in technique, and style, said art critic Mazen Asfour, "the work demonstrates a cultural dialogue and a universal, humanistic language."
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Asfour, also professor at UJ's faculty of arts, said the exhibition, with all its varying styles, possesses many common elements, such as the lyrical representation of colour and harmonic distribution of forms.

"These artists' perseverance towards innovation will serve to nourish and strengthen the artistic movement in Jordan," concluded Asfour.

Art critic Mazen Asfour said Darat Al Funun is aiming to acquaint the Jordanian audience with the best Arab artists and create an open dialogue among the Arabs on fine arts.

The "Journey Through the Contemporary Arts of the Arab World" series was inaugurated last week with an exhibition of works by 11 artists from the Gulf countries, featuring a collection of paintings, sculptures and photographs.

Asfour described the dominating trend among contemporary Gulf artists as a quest to combine modern international influences with traditional oriental space. "Gulf artists have a capacity to cerate dialogue between local and international dialects, yet there is a persistent search for Arabic identity in modern art," he explained.

Although participating artists do not deny the influence of Western art in their work, and especially the dominance of abstraction, they maintain that their works are a reflection of their own environment and identity.

They tend to use Islamic ornaments and Arabic calligraphy to create modern compositions, and some-times experiment with individual elements derived from a strictly Arabic environment-palm trees, wicker baskets, fishing boats-by portraying them in abstract forms.

"Their paintings also demonstrate a high capacity for reshaping materials and colours and employing them in a variety of forms," Asfour added.

Another characteristic of contemporary Gulf art is the tendency to work with big spaces, and the ability to deal with space with the utmost care. Asfour praised the artists ability to give attention to the slightest details despite the enormity of their work.

Art critic Mazen Asfour said Darat Al Funun is aiming to acquaint the Jordanian audience with the best Arab artists and create an open dialogue among the Arabs on fine arts.

The "Journey Through the Contemporary Arts of the Arab World" series was inaugurated last week with an exhibition of works by 11 artists from the Gulf countries, featuring a collection of paintings, sculptures and photographs.

Asfour described the dominating trend among contemporary Gulf artists as a quest to combine modern international influences with traditional oriental space. "Gulf artists have a capacity to cerate dialogue between local and international dialects, yet there is a persistent search for Arabic identity in modern art," he explained.

Although participating artists do not deny the influence of Western art in their work, and especially the dominance of abstraction, they maintain that their works are a reflection of their own environment and identity.

They tend to use Islamic ornaments and Arabic calligraphy to create modern compositions, and some-times experiment with individual elements derived from a strictly Arabic environment-palm trees, wicker baskets, fishing boats-by portraying them in abstract forms.

" Their paintings also demonstrate a high capacity for reshaping materials and colours and employing them in a variety of forms," Asfour added.

Another characteristic of contemporary Gulf art is the tendency to work with big spaces, and the ability to deal with space with the utmost care. Asfour praised the artists ability to give attention to the slightest details despite the enormity of their work.

According to art critic Mazen Asfour, black and white photos affect viewers more than coloured photos because "they make us feel the depth of history".

According to art critic Mazen Asfour, "the public should never be blamed."

"Most artists display the same works, but in different galleries, and some galleries insist on inviting the same Arab or international artists yearly to exhibit the same paintings," explained Asfour.

Audiences are not interested in attending these exhibitions because they are all the same, "never providing them with new works," stressed Asfour.

Initial examinations indicate that the painting could be an original, although many Picasso fakes are in circulation, art critic Mazen Asfour told The Jordan Times."The canvas is very old and the lines and texture... support the belief that it might be authentic," he said.The painting, which belongs to Picasso's Experimental Cubic period that started in the early 1900s, could be worth over JD1million if its authenticity is proven, he added. The one-metre-long by 0.70-metre-wide canvas is a portrait of a man dissected by geometric patterns.It carries Picasso's signature, but is untitled.Tayel Majali, the head of the Anti- Narcotics Department, said the painting was smuggled into the Kingdom from a neighbouring country, and was found in the possession of a group of Jordanians who were apprehended after police were tipped off that they were looking for buyers for a Picasso painting.Police sent undercover agents posing as buyers to arrest the men, who told interrogators that the painting was given to them by some Arab nationals seeking to sell it, he added. The painting is believed to have been stolen from a Kuwaiti palace during the 1990-91 Gulf crisis.Many valuable art objects that were stolen from private collections in Kuwaiti homes and palaces during the 1991 Gulf War found their way to the Western market, mostly smuggled by Iraqis.

Author/s: Dr. Mazen Asfour ,art critic

A short encounter there with art critic Dr Mazen Asfour later developed into a cultural discourse.One conversation led to another and we suddenly ended up talking about our lost sense of history.

"My son once asked me about the Palestinian cause," Asfour said, 'Dad, why were we kicked out of Palestine?' 'Because the Jews occupied our land and kicked us out, son,' I said. 'Why didn't we fight? 'We fought, but we lost.' 'Didn't we have weapons?' 'They didn't allow us to obtain weapons,' I answered him," Asfour sighed, as he slowly puffed a cigarette smoke out of his mouth."You know, we lack scriptum [Latin for script] in our [Arab] history.There is a point where I can't answer my son's questions, I have to refer to a historical literature long forgotten and sometimes even unwritten."

The next point was to be primal, a razzle-dazzle, it was downtown Amman.Zigzag walkways drizzled by the aroma of old book kiosks and the smell of fresh Turkish coffee tickling the nostrils of a thousand faces walking the streets, the feverish sounds of vehicles, the sites and sounds of street vendors; the chaos of a city.The suspense that wells up in your soul the moment you venture into its hauntingly withered buildings is what makes the downtown area a rhapsodic marvel.

Mazen Asfour ZARA GALLERY
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Dr. Asfour is currently the "Art Critic" professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts, the University of Jordan, and he is also the publisher of several researches on art and art history. Dr. Asfour was a key participant in several international art conferences and art juries. He studied and taught art in Italy for 18 years in the universities and the art institutes of Florence and Bologna.