Among the several artists and works of art that have inspired me, the one that stands out in my mind is Paul Klee‘s In the Style of Kairoan (1914), which was his first abstract piece composed of colorful rectangles and a few circles. My artistic faculties connected instantly to Klee’s use of shapes and colors being the main focus rather than the landscapes or subjects that he was projecting. Klee describes abstraction as “Abstract? Being abstract as a painter is not the same as abstracting natural objective ways of comparison but, independent of these possible forms of comparison, is based on the extraction of pictorially pure relations: light and dark, color to light and dark, color to color, long to short, broad to narrow”.
Being an artist that is inclined to experiment with colors, shapes, lines and patterns, this is something I strongly relate to and attach great value to. When I find a landscape or object that inspires/connects to me, an image comes to my mind of how I can present this familiar ordinary thing in an extraordinary way, and some unique color combinations, shapes and lines come dancing in my vision, spurring my mind to create something with them that shows the subject in a new light. My purpose is to combine all these elements to create something that is not only innovative but also communicates my message and connects with the audience. When something inspires me, my focus is on the artistic presentation of it rather than the object itself.
Being of the belief that art can be inspired from anything and everything, I immensely enjoy the challenge that art presents to me at every nook and corner whether I am on a busy city road, or walking on the mountains or wading in the waves at a beach. Like Klee, I cherish the belief that the artist does not have to create something “traditionally beautiful”, and the creation can be whatever the artist wants it to be. It can be the little everyday things, or a new artistic awakening. The beauty of the world of art is that it is full of immense and limitless possibilities, unique and paradigm-shifting perspectives, and irrespective of the surroundings or because of them, the mind is constantly stimulated with an almost feverish desire to create more.
I find Paul Klee‘s “In the Style of Kairoan” resonating with me and all the thoughts that I have described above. As do his words “Colour possesses me. I don’t have to pursue it. It will possess me always. I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: colour and I are one.