The path to abstraction in art, particularly western art, was not straight and narrow. Instead, it intersected with other roads from the East, crossing into calligraphy, hieroglyphs and symbols.
These influences are apparent in Louvre Abu Dhabi’s exhibition, Abstraction and Calligraphy – Towards a Universal Language, which opened in February and is on view until June 12.
More than 80 artworks, many shown in the region for the first time, are included in the show, with creations by Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miro, Jean Dubuffet, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Cy Twombly, as well as Dia Azzawi, Mona Hatoum and Shakir Hassan Al Said.
Organised in four themed sections, the exhibition charts the development of abstraction in visual art since the early 20th century, examining how artists looked to various cultures and writing systems to expand their ideas.
To underline this narrative, Louvre Abu Dhabi included historical objects from ancient Egypt and the Islamic world, inserting them between the artworks for comparison. These include a stone slab with Egyptian inscription and a page from the Blue Quran, which dates back to 900 AD and contains Kufic calligraphy written in gold on blue-dyed parchment.
The influence of these logos and alphabetical forms can be found in Joaquin Torres-Garcia's 1937 Universal Composition, a pictogram-filled painting that resembles the inscriptions of ancient cultures. The same goes for Paul Klee's Oriental Bliss from 1938, a colourful work that demonstrates the artist's fascination with Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese and Arabic alphabets. Kandinsky's Trente continues this style, though his elements are more sinuous and complex, as though trying to depict a message or story.
Artists such as Andre Masson charted his own approach to abstraction, borrowing from literary movements such as surrealism to consider how the unconscious can be visualised on the canvas. This resulted in paintings that express some kind of inner vision, with organic and intuitive lines. Miro takes this further with his poem-drawings, such as Femme, oiseau [Woman, Birds], which is part of the exhibition and shows spontaneity through intense, expressive lines.
A number of works by Dubuffet, on loan from Centre Pompidou, exemplify a spontaneous approach to art that is almost primitive in its visual language. The artist rejected scholarly interpretation of artworks, instead focusing on authentic, "raw" art.
The influence of calligraphy and writing systems reached Arab artists as well, as seen in the works of Al Said, Azzawi and Sliman Mansour, among others. Looking towards the Arabic script, artists sought to break down the letters into graphic elements and forms.
One highlight is Mansour's Graffiti – a textured work made of mud, wood and other materials that feature geometric etchings and bears earthy hues along with a spray-painted scrawl. From afar, it resembles a carved out stone or slab.
Artists such as Hatoum and Ghada Amer explore the Arabic alphabet in their own ways, wielding them into sculptural works. Hatoum's Found (Wire Drawings) are like scrawls of ancient text, but are actually scrap metal from Lebanon's civil war, while Amer's The Words I Love Most conjoin words into a cast bronze globe that spells out Arabic words of humanity.
As part of the programming for the exhibition, Louvre Abu Dhabi is presenting a two-day masterclass on Saturdays, June 12 and 19 on calligraphy and abstraction with renowned calligrapher Mohammed Mandi, who is also the lead calligrapher and artist at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation's Bait Al Khatt Centre, and Juma Alhaj, an Emirati abstract artist. In addition, online demonstration and talk by Mandi is available on the Louvre Abu Dhabi website.
The museum has also created a virtual tour of the exhibition on its website, as well as recordings of a discussion with Didier Ottinger, assistant director of the Centre Pompidou and curator of the show, and Berklee Abu Dhabi's pop-up performance titled Unlock the Language of Music.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
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Contracted list
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
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World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
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Match info
Newcastle United 1
Joselu (11')
Tottenham Hotspur 2
Vertonghen (8'), Alli (18')
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
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Jetour T1 specs
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
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Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Full list of Emmy 2020 nominations
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
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The Voice
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do In The Shadows
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
![Wassily Kandinsky, 'Trente [Thirty]' (1937), oil on canvas. Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Philippe Migeat](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/DV7VXYBIVN6APEEVFSIN4DSDIY.jpg?smart=true&auth=72cebecdca664bb2a92b03e4d4f606bc9337d13fbdaefa070d33cdc716e8e3b0&width=800&height=450)
