Wijdan

Wijdan is the artistic name of H.R.H. Princess Wijdan Ali of Jordan, a first cousin to the late King Hussein. Wijdan studied art with a series of teachers, including the Italian Armando Prön and Jordanian Muhana Durra between 1958 and 1963. In 1979, she founded the Royal Society of Fine Arts in Jordan and, the following year, the Jordan National Art Gallery. After completing her Ph.D. in the History of Islamic Art at SOAS, University of London, in 1993, she returned to her life as both artist and academician in Amman where besides publishing many works on Islamic Art she continues to curate and host exhibitions, international seminars and other forums for artistic exchange. Most recently, in 2001, Wijdan was appointed Dean of the College of Arts and Design at the University of Jordan.

Artist Statement

The calligraphic school of art in modern Arab painting is more than a style. For me it is a form of artistic identity through which I am able to gratify my creative instincts and establish my individuality as a contemporary Arab and Islamic artist. I believe that the modern calligraphic school is the contemporary continuation of traditional Islamic visual arts. It has evolved from the art of traditional Arabic calligraphy and developed into a present- day form of expression, drawing on classical heritage while employing modern media and techniques. It unites the legible value of letters and words with their optic and graphic abstract shapes, allowing me to ascertain my cultural persona as a contemporary Arab painter, within an international artistic framework. Meanwhile the use of various kinds of hand-made paper as an art medium has opened new horizons for me and taken my work to a new level of visual and sensual consciousness.

Wijdan