Ayyad

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Nimer – An artist moving on through different stages

By Jan Bourdais

The writer, an art enthusiast, is the director of the French Cultural Center in Amman

Studying the work of Ayyad Alnimer does not produce any answers to the questions posed by his painting but can only result in an attempt at analysis with a range of suggestions and viewpoints. As Pleynet once wrote,- “To understand modern and temporary art is to take it, and to implicate one’s self in its adventure, in the order and disorder of invention and the life of forms which are capable of being and will become perhaps the forms of life.”

Nimer obeys the law of all living organisms who are obliged to develop their full potential by externally reconstituting the internal equilibrium. Does not this law from the basis of humanism? His painting expresses the dilemma of a cultured spirit in whom the traditional lives alongside the empirical drawn from the depth of human anguish. This strange dualism becomes none other than a dialogue between abstraction and figurative representation. Yet, fixed abstraction, geometric and static is doomed to become an anachronism.

Through successive experiences, some of which are at times a little contradictory, Nimer”s work has continued to follow its own destiny in a process that renders it little by little more intelligible. Art, as an intimate expression of life must favor form, form which it derives its consistency, but how to avoid the desiccating and sterilizing properties of the indispensable? This truly is a creative task.

Confronted by the ever changing faces of civilization, Nimer perceives the ultimate paralysis of structures which he decides to abandon. Seeing that the old forms were always used to express the external world, he covers over his geometric abstractions in an instinctive drive, that is felt and true, giving expression to the intensity of human nature. This outburst is born of the union of expressionism, surrealism and abstraction. More and more free from borrowed forms taken from reality and geometric construction, his abstraction leans towards a greater realization of his inner self.

Nimer feels the power of the material and the brushstroke and transmits that primordial power without attempting to explain it. His work matures slowly, oscillating between the abstract and the literal.

His unique expressionism destroys the human figure. Parts of body seem whisked away to be inserted in the surrounding space. These bodies are painted with long, broad brushstrokes that collide with each other all over the surface of the canvas. But Nimer does not submit freely to the abstract movement. His painting remains structured by colors that enhance the richness of the pictorial material in its natural state. His canvases are born of the anguish when on the cusp of change between and old world and the new. They arise out of a feeling of the abysmal, of an emptiness between the solitary “I” and the world. Nimer tries to fill this emptiness that he feels. His abstraction is his power. Form explodes in his works if the pressure that retains it can contain it no longer.

If Nimer’s pictorial language is perfectly constructed, it nonetheless still leaves a pathway to his instinct, and his plastic vocabulary remains subdued by its own tension. There is neither a trace of violence nor of haste in his painting, but two tendencies manifest themselves: one advocates a rigorous abstraction without any lyricism, the other denotes the figurative.

Nimer tries to break away from the literalness that first made his reputation, for an abstract form. Does abstraction lie beyond the figurative or in opposition to it? In NImer’s work we find an expression partly emotional and decorative and another structured and reasoned. The thematic character reminds one of an expression by a Pollock of “being inside the picture” – feeling expressed by personal touch stamped by the artist’s brushstroke. For the anathematic emotional and intellectual opposites, Nimer defines a new pictorial space. Hoffman teaches us that “in order for a painting to be created, it must first abide by the laws pertaining to surfaces. The colors that play all over the surface push and pull the eye of the spectator. Thus Nimer’s paintings, without reference to perspective, suggest receding and advancing masses.

The opposition of line and color, of the effective and the meditative, of the forceful and the subtle and between the brushstroke and flat areas of color create a huge diversity in his work.

The evolution of modern painting like that of Nimer, can only be justified by that suffered by contemporary human society. But like society he must pass through different stages to establish a modus operandi. There will be some who will take these as the conclusion, but it is only a phase that must be undergone and experienced before Nimer can move on.

Ayyad Alnimer's art 'brings to the fore subterranean emotions'

By Meg Abu Hamdan

Jordan Times, Sunday May 9 1982

There is an intensity and sincerity in the work of Ayyad Alnimer, now on show at the Spanish Cultural Center, to which one instantly responds. It is as if this reserved artist has laid bare his soul and in so doing produced powerfully works of art that reach deep into the unconsciousness, bringing to the force subterranean emotions myths and superstitions by which all humanity is forever linked.

Surprisingly the artist releases these complex feelings by a very restricted method of expression and technique. The technique is lithography, by which Nimer produces one-off black and white prints with staggering abundance, the ones on exhibition being just a few of hundreds that fill his studio. His style is figurative in which he draws obsessively with telltale expertise despite its simplicity, the same kind of face expression and figures.

Put in as simple terms as this one starts to wonder why that artist’s work is so effective. Certainly the fact that they are in black and white (the tones of which all the mounts should have been restricted to) enhances the strength, of the prints augments their potency, for the viewer is not distracted by the feelings which color inevitably arouses. Nimer himself says he feels more free working in black and white and the resulting uninhibited spontaneity, the sureness of line are often inspirational.

But the real power of Nimer’s work comes not from the lack of color, not even from his figures but from the swirling sweeping strokes and the alien symbols and hieroglyphics of the background, which belie the apparent simplicity of the artist’s work. the naked vulnerability of strange childlike figures contrasts strongly with the dynamism of these thick black yet transparently encircling lines, while their calm impenetrable masks which exude the same remoteness as the classical portraits that were found under the ashes of Pompeii, of its ancient Roman citizens, are just facades underneath which—the background tells us—seethe a mass of deep but obscure emotions. Finally it is the hieroglyphics that provides the ultimate paradox in Nimer’s work, for it is from these unfathomable, yet vaguely familiar symbols—about which there is something mysteriously religious, but “of a religion before all religions”—that arouse primitive, primeval feelings totally at odds with the prints modern sophistication.

Alnimer works in daring color

By Ersilia Moreno

Jordan Times, March 9 1984

Ayyad Alnimer’s painting exhibition at the Alia Art Gallery this week is one of self-expression. His work is a combination of many different techniques and materials. He has associated lithograph prints with oil and acrylic paints in a most original way and has created beautiful images of a simple, tranquil life through the contrasting mixtures of abstract and realist work. Most notable about Alnimer’s work is the selection and intensity of his colors. The basic colors of the spectrum as well as their varying shades are employed without limitation in his paintings. His use of purple, green, yellow, blue, and fuscia are daring and imaginative. The brightness of some colors almost require you to squint your eyes, and yet Alnimer does not restrict himself to quiet, soft pastels. Animals and buildings are the most prominent subjects in his paintings, but he has also experimented extensively with still life of flowers. His works have very subtle Arabic Themes to them but nothing overpowers the viewer. Of the many paintings on show, all of which are untitled, for deserve special recognition. One is of a quiet village man on his donkey. The striking background calls out that he has his wares for sale. Another interestingly illustrates a reverse in nature with a horse grazing on purple grass while the sky is green. In the third a pastel colored town stands mute against its deep dark sky. The fourth is the only painting with an Islamic influence and it is absolutely enchanting. Alnimer has combined a lithographic print with a picture of a seated worshipper. He uses an abundance of white and soft hues to create the image of tranquility between man and God. Alnimer holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Cairo. However more important than a formal education in art is what the artist teaches himself. This well-read artist has not supplemented his knowledge and develop his style as so many other artists have done. His works is an illustration of his own language and self-inspiration. Art itself has affected him as a person, but he says his art has not been influenced by a particular artist or style.

Unity and Symphony reflected in Artist’s style – realism, abstract

By Margarette Hall

The Jerusalem Star

17 April 1986

Ayyad Alnimer, an Egyptian artist, was born in 1948. He obtained his B.A. in Fine Arts from Cairo. Alnimer worked as an art teacher before he resigned and became an art critic, whereby he tries to enrich and build awareness about art.

In his art exhibit at the Petra Bank Gallery last week, ALnimer’s work speaks for itself – it is simple, clear and straightforward.

Basically, the paintings exhibited are done using lithography and black and white colors. Portraits of the artist’s family. He sketches of their positions by later drawing in the details, such as the lips without the person being in front of him. All his portraits are of women and children except for his self-portrait. The lines are soft and flowing. This effect could not have been achieved by sketching men due to their rough faces and masculine bodies. Thus, the artist prefers the feminine curving and dynamic lines to the line itself showing the influence of Picasso, who believed in the strength of line and in its softness.

As for his materials, they are unlimited. He uses sponge, various types of paper, zink and stone. Like Picasso, the artist tries not to reveal the materials used. Most important, he combines abstract and realism in his style. For example, in No. 42, a sitting young girl is painted looking at an angle towards the left, this position is achieved by the movement of the body and eyes. She is ‘painted’ in black outlines while the body, clothes, face, hair and chair are filled in with white. The background consists of a stark black color with some relief printing of squares and rectangles, giving more depths and a finishing touch to the print. Most important, is the great contrast in technique. Alnimer uses realism only for the figure in the painting, and abstract for the setting.

His combinations give the prints a ‘naiveté’, as in No. 13 – a woman sitting on a chair drinking coffee, the only black present is made up of the lines forming her figure and the chair, the rest of the print is white. This method emphasizes the beauty in the lines from which a figure is created to occupy the space. It reveals the artist’s fascination with white medium, and in this line manner, the ‘soul’ of the line is given importance. A dramatic effect between the white and black is then achieved.

Because of his historical studies, Alnimer finds himself employing symbols that the Nabateans used. The most prominent of his symbols is the circle. It is certainly abundant in No. 25. Since the artist does not want to enter into complex art such as surrealism, the background, even though abstract, is full of circles ranging in all sizes from small dots to the big round circles. The circle lends simplicity to the work.

Different stages are involved in order to create lithographies, such as the one exhibited. First, in the subconscious and physical stage, the artist combines all his previous studies and knowledge trying to produce unity such as in a symphony. He then uses his senses in feeling the texture and observing the paper, done without the artist knowing what he will create. In the second and third stages, Alnimer composes and sketches his ideas, letting them flow through his arm and hand as in squeezing paint out of its tubes. The net result is a simple and free creation, and dirty hands. Alnimer has to wash his hands at least fifteen times to clean the paint off – he always uses his hands while painting.

In spite of the many procedures involved, the artist does not interrupt the trend of his thoughts. He is transported into a world of his own while painting. Alnimer has to thoroughly complete a painting in one session, for if he is interrupted and later resume his work, he will not be able to connect his thoughts. This resembles the flowing of electricity. Once stopped the effect is static.

Frequently. Shadows are painted in connection with the figures. ALnimer does this in three ways: by filling in the usual black to create a shadowy effect, by the ‘tadpole’ technique as the artist names it – he saturates his brush with ink and then uses it directly onto the paper and from then continues; consequently, the joint or crook of an arm, is then given depths and shadow by the thick ink.

Like a tadpole’s head, he begins with a blob and carries on with the line ‘tail’ giving different tones to the line, from dark to gray. Also, he affects the latter color by diluting the ink on the surface of the printing plate.

At the same time, he employs several chemical reactions. Since water and oil form a suspension, the design is ‘painted’ using a fatty substance that is later wetted. The greasy ink employed has an affinity to the greasy parts, the wet regions are left as they are. When this is completed, one can observe these reactions, the black is perforated by the white and an abstract is formed in No. 38

Finally, the artist is always ‘playing’ and mixing different compositions together. He has tried etching and silk screen, which he greatly enjoys. But for now, he is improvising on his present technique, and as he says: “practice makes perfect.”

Alnimer is also an impressionist. In No. 34, the black ink gives way to boundaries which are not really painted in. the mule’s rump is not drawn in, but the black by which it is bounded gives definition to the rump.

Furthermore, the paintings on exhibit are presented in such a way that a sense of unity and symphony is obtained. Likewise, the boundaries of each piece are definite. The print does not continue outside the frame of the subconscious.

The artist admits that he abhors puzzles, and this is proven by Alnimer’s themes of simplicity and realism. One may say that this black and white technique differs in style from his last exhibit, in September, in which he used oils. On the contrary, the artist sees himself as the trunk of a tree with myriad branches, each of which constitutes an element in his work.

Surprisingly, no trees can be found in any of his work.