Asma’ strives to stimulate people’s mind with her work
Young artist feels she still has a lot to learn
Today’s article takes a look at Asma’ Essa, a young artist painter and interior decorator. – Editor
Special to the Arab Times sma’ Essa is a young artist and a mother who nurtures her children on the refining influence of the fine arts.
The profusion of young artists in her country and their works spurred her optimistic in the revival of the artistic movement of her country, which began to decline from the end of the seventies, when restriction on freedom of expression in the fine arts stunted creativity and the local art movement became timid and sank into affectation and dilettantism of little consequence to society, except the few works that embody the creative power of the artist.
Intellectual freedom enhances the quality of art; such was the situation in the sixties when government encouragement created
ABy Lidia Qattan
the golden era of culture in Kuwait!
An artist must have guts and intellectual steams to come forward with creations that stimulate people’s mind even shock them. Timid art is of little consequence to society. Technically perfect art works but devoid of genuine feelings are simple imitations of nature that offer nothing more than beauty.
Forgotten
On the other hand works that embody the feeling of the artist may be pleasant or shocking to the beholder but are not easily forgotten, as the latest works of Hamid Khazaal, which are so infused with suffering that they shock the beholder.
Feeling is the essence of every true
Lidia Qattan
Some of Asma’ Essa’s paintings
art work, it is the substance that can’t be achieved or induced by handmade rules, or reduced to a formula of technical skill. A work of art is a unity imbued with the stirring individuality of the artist’s mental inclination, it is the revelation of his own soul appealing to human sympathy. Training, study even talent are not enough; an artistic creation must reflect the passion, the spiritual steam, the pronounced desires and the intellectual power of the artist to select, to coordinate and to reconstruct his experience into individual creations.
Forethought and labor can produce admirable works, but if they don’t incorporate the spontaneous emanation of the artist’s character, that property of his soul that lends uniqueness to his work their message is lost in their charm.
Asma’ discovered her artistic potentials in grammar school, when encouraged by her art teachers to express her thoughts in drawing and coloring, she took to art with enthusiasm, eager to take part in every art activity in school and attended art classes at the summer club during the holiday.
She was delighted when at the Intermediate schooling the same art teacher was transferred to her school; this fact made her yet more eager to develop her artistic potential and join exhibitions.
At graduation from higher school Asma’ entered the College of Health Studies from which she graduated in 1998 with a diploma in dietetics. In 2000 she got a job at the Ministry of Interior as a dietetic, but she never forsook her interest in the fine arts.
While working at the Ministry of Interior, Asma’ entered the Higher Institute of Dramatic Studies from which she graduated in 2004, with a Bachelor’s degree in Theater and Television Decoration.
Responsibility
In the fall of that year Asma’ became part of the National Council of Culture, Arts and Letters and soon moved to a position of responsibility and prestige through hard work and dedication to her job.
Made responsible of the Government Exhibition Hall in Daya Abdullah Al Salem, Asma’s contact with artists and their works has expanded her understanding of art as a form of organized knowledge of great emotional value when brought forth with creative insight. At the same time the variety of works from Kuwaiti artists and from abroad exhibited in the hall has broadened her vision on the various painting techniques and styles, this spurred her to take courses at the Art Academy of Saud Al Faraj.
In spite of Asma’ has been taking part in scores of collective exhibitions since 1998 when she became member of the Kuwait Fine Arts Association, she has not yet had the courage to come forward with a show of her own; for she feels she still has a lot to learn.
Studying art never stops, there is always something new to learn, new techniques to explore. Incidentally in her works Asma’ betrays the strong influence of her teacher, Saud Al Faraj.