By Munther Hamdan
Star Staff Writer
The abstract works of the Jordanian artist Mohammad Al Jaloos, currently displayed at Baladna Art Gallery , have much to say about human suffering and a complex reality. They are moments of agitation, sadness and love mixed all together to produce a complicated structure. The exhibition was opened under the patronage of HRH Princess Wijdan Ali in cooperation with Al Asriyyah Schools. Titled ‘Shajan’ it goes beyond the traditional expressive motifs of art to a more suggestive creation.
“‘Shajan’ is that point which lies all the way between sadness and happiness,” said Al Jaloos. This moment of indecisiveness played a big role in having paintings which indirectly “address the very human essence.” Al Jaloos believes that human essence is the main addressee in an abstract work; these are far from mere moments of excitement. Art is a product of inner conflicts and memories that are all melted in one pot. The different memories of the artist are all present in the moment of creation.
Al Jaloos said that the human essence may even precede the artist’s day of birth. He means that human beings share universal convictions and feelings which can be presented any time in a work of art. The paintings no longer belong to a certain culture that imposes its language and social aspects and even colors on the artist but to a huge world which abounds with life discrepancies. It is then the artist’s role to absorb all these differences, or at least those which are surrounding him, to experience new and wide horizons and keep the process of discovery on. “My works are the product of this horrible mixture of happiness and sadness and the everyday questions and contemplations which never cease to be.”
From the first look at Al Jaloos’ exhibition, one gets the impression that the paintings are all identical. The difference was limited to certain colors and brush strokes but the content is uniform. And this is what Al Jaloos emphasized saying that his works form one body. He added that one abstract work cannot safely convey alone the emotional ‘charges’. That is why he put identical works in groups. “Because of the abundance of different choices, I used different forms to express one visual idea,” he explained.
Though, artistically, black is avoided by many artists and is perceived as a dangerous color, Al Jaloos uses it to comment on a grim reality. It is by this color that the seemingly silent paintings were seething inside. “When using black the artist locks himself inside walls. But with black, it is becoming a challenge to either jump over or penetrate these walls,” he stressed.
The paintings are divided into Acrylics and collage works. Asked about the difference, Al Jaloos said that in the collage works one can employ the letter technique. “I use the typed letters which do not stand independently but within paragraphs,” he said. Irrespective of the content of the paragraph, “I make use of the shape of the sentences and letters and fit them into the color circle.” Some collage works have jutted and coarse surfaces that “truly represent the harsh inner of human beings.” The exhibition is a venture upon producing the unexpected and shocking. Not only do the paintings mark the artist’s absorption of how colors relate to each other but also of his belief in an always changing reality which requires a change in art.
Al Jaloos was born in 1960 and has a B.A. degree in Business Administration. He later on studied painting at the Jordan Institute of Fine Arts and became member of the Jordanian Artists Association. He is also a member of the Jordanian Writers Association, having published a collection of short stories. In addition to the many one-man shows he held, Al Jaloos participated in a large number of local and international group exhibitions.
The Star, August 26, 1996