| An Arabesque Tango is an exhibition that brings together many different sensibilities from my mixed heritage, Central European and Ottoman-Byzantium, Seljuk and Middle Eastern influences. I attempt to capture in my pieces the magical spirituality of the Sufi mystics and the elegant grace of Islamic Art.; In composing this thesis I have assumed that my readers have a limited understanding of Turkish history and art. Therefore, the first section provides a brief overview of Turkish history, culture and art. The second part provides an overview of Islamic Art and Calligraphy, Sufism and Dervishes. These are important motifs used in my work. The third section explores the interrelationships of motifs in my work. In particular how juxtapositions such as modern-arabesque, east-west, happy-sad, monochromatic-colorful were filtered through my 10 years graphic design experience to produce this body of work.; Specific artworks will be used to illustrate how I used formal composition and visual devices to project my concepts and create expressive energy. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
