Abdulrahman Al Soliman

Private Collection, Saudi Arabia (acquired directly from the artist in 1986) 

Many of Abdulraham Al Soliman’s paintings are created from memory; his canvases celebrating images of homes, farms, markets and his distinctive and delicate palm trees of his life. Towards the end of the 1970s, Soliman began to strongly identify more with the “local art” movement. He actively embraced this artistic persona and deeply believed in drawing attention to all facets of his national Saudi Arabian heritage. His first exhibition in 1973 was organized by Al Itifaq Club in Damman. He studied painting alongside the artist Mousaed Al-Ghrami, working first on canvas before transitioning into mural works.

The present lot, Makan, is the perfect synthesis of Soliman’s most desired compositions. This canvas is the ultimate amalgamation of things seen and experienced, of images that influence and breathe life into his work. Makan conveys Soliman’s affinity for local architecture and nature, and illustrates his artistic techniques and holistic approach. The uncanny resemblance to Paul Klee’s landscapes – particularly his 1918 work, With the Eagle, shows us the mimetic quality of Makan – the mirroring of arches and palm leaves.  Klee’s travels to Tunisia left a visual imprint on Soliman’s oeuvre, with its local villages, houses and desert plains reminiscent of the sandy desert scenes across North Africa up to the Arab Peninsula. Klee like Soliman, shows us the importance of drawing inspiration from a wealth of sources. Both artists drew from their environments but sought artistic refuge in their own imaginations. Although these particular two paintings share visual imagery, it is important to draw attention to the similarities in the stylistic trajectories of the two artists. Similar to Klee, many of Soliman’s works also have strong cubist and abstract undercurrents. However, their oeuvres diverge insofar as Klee ultimately turned his back on subject matter, moving into pure abstraction, while Soliman’s later works visually, became closer to home. Soliman’s work in the early 70s was strongly cubist. It was only in the 80s to 90s that he began to weave in more direct representations of his homeland.  

Soliman’s artistic influences can perhaps best be explained by his multifaceted contribution to the arts scene. He is both an artist and author. In his role as art critic he most recently published, The March of Saudi Art in 2000, which is an in depth examination of Saudi art, and serves as a source of information for many recent articles and young emerging artists. Currently Soliman is the Fine Arts Editor for Al Yaum Newspaper and has been in his role since 1983. Although his text focuses on local art, it gains relevance because of his wider knowledge of art history. Art criticism after all, must presume a holistic understanding of the art world. Thus while his vision is one that approaches Arab art in its totality, like Klee he is ultimately an artist whose work is coloured by a multitude of influences. Soliman however developed his style into one more intimately involved with his local community.