The School Of Paris -12th, March – 28th, April

From 1900 until about 1940, Paris was a thriving center of artistic activity that provided unparalleled conditions for the exchange of creative ideas. A wave of artists of all nationalities gravitated to the French capital and fostered an inspiring climate of imaginative cross-creativity. Because of the enormous influx of non-French artists living and working in Paris, a loosely defined affiliation developed referred to as the School of Paris. The international activity associated with this group in Paris was initially concentrated in Montmartre but subsequently moved to Montparnasse in the early 1910s. Focusing on conventional subjects such as portraiture, figure studies, landscapes, cityscapes, and still lifes, artists of the School of Paris employed a diversity of styles and techniques including the bold, dynamic colors of Fauvism the revolutionary methods of Cubism the animated qualities of Expressionism, and the private worlds of Surrealism.  Amongst these artists were Picasso, Braque, Miro, Matisse, Chagall and Dali. The War years of 1939-45 saw many of them moving to America and England  where they continued to influence the next generation of radical artists such as Bacon and Litchenstein

This exciting exhibition curated by Niall and Christina Fairhead features 51 Original works from all the major School of Paris Artists. All works are for sale and guaranteed genuine

Download – The School of Paris Catalogue

Autumn 2016 Workshops

Flyer for Social Media

 

 

CHALK PAINTTM  decorative paint by Annie Sloan.zip-for-emailsWonderful products that can save you a fortune with our courses giving you skills for a lifetime.

You can transform old furniture, walls, floors, and even fabrics in your own style in no time at all.

Hosted by our fully trained Annie Sloan specialist Shivani Jadeja courses and timings can be arranged to suit you. Bring 3 friends along and your place is free. We stock all the products and the books so you can leave your course ready for action

Techniques One          450 Dhms  [An introduction to the Annie Sloan Method]

Techniques Two          500 Dhms  [Including gilding, decoupage and many other special finishes]

For bookings telephone 04 3536233

for full information on all of the products visit www.anniesloan.com

 

Water Colour Painting with Trevor Waugh 

trevor-illustrations-small

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 12th 13th and 14th

10 am – 4pm

650 Dirhams per day including a light lunch. Book by phone or by e mail

Trevor has had a long association with The Majlis Gallery and is reknown for his ability and love of sharing his vast wealth and knowledge of painting and drawing.

His courses are great fun and full of information for students at every level.

You can get a taste of his humour and style by watching one of his many You Tube videos but there really is no better way to learn from him than joining him at The Majlis Gallery.

Al Fahidi Festival – The New Orientalists

We would like to introduce you to ALFF.      

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ALFF personifies everything that is

The Al Fahidi Historic Neighbour Hood

A Creative Fun Cultural Hub right by Dubai’s Iconic Creek and Traditional Souks

Opening on Saturday 6th of February from 10am -10 pm 

will see all the Creative Companies

in the neighbourhood mounting new exhibitions,

the numerous cafes offering special menus

and  the various museums welcoming visitors through their doors.

The Majlis Gallery’s contribution to the Festival is 

The New Orientalists

A group show of new work from over 20 of our major artists 

We look forward to welcoming you to ALFF

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alff2“Orientalism” is widely used in art to refer to the works of the many, mostly European,19th-century artists, who specialized in “Oriental” subjects. They travelled mainly as addendums to larger groups of archeologists, scientists, traders and explorers. hired initially in these pre photography days to record the sights and general exotica of the Levant eventually travelling onward into the Middle and Far East.

The “lone” traveller painters of the early nineteenth century were often accompanied by an entourage of servants to carry bags and equipment, many of them such as John Frederick Lewis and Jean Leon Gerome set up homes in Cairo immersing themselves in the heat, the light and the eroticism of a culture far removed from the climate of Northern Europe. Paintings by Lewis, Gerome, Ingres. Delacroix and many others were a regular feature of the Salon Exhibitions in Paris from 1847 and from 1894 onwards an annual exhibition of Orientalist painters took place in Paris greatly influencing the younger artists of the day.

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The great David Roberts was instrumental in opening the eyes of Victorian England to the epic architecture and vast vistas of The Holy Land, Syria, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia but  by the turn of the century interest in things Oriental was in decline however  in the last quarter of the 20th century Orientalist painting soared in value spurred on by “oil money” coming into the art market.

Works produced in the first half of the 20th century were usually attributed to official war artists such as Henry Lamb or to those working more with a camera than a brush such as Wilfred Thesiger and Ronald Codrai. They were among the first of a new generation of Orientalist artists for whom the changing face of The Middle East as it moved from the mystical to the masterful is still a subject of great visual interest.

alff3The early works of many of the artists in this exhibition are already of great historical importance. Paintings from before the camel track moved down the Al Ain road before the Souk and the Bastakia were restored, when Jumeira Beach was wild and goats roamed the  streets of Bur Dubai.
These artists are just one more step in the long tradition of Orientalism and in time will be equally collectable.

From Highly Contemporary to Downright Romantic there is something for everyone in this great exhibition

The Golden Year

“…A landscape is the spiritual memory of a place for her. She says she can listen to the echoes of ancient places and can hear the hidden stories they tell. Since she is a painter and not a storyteller, she puts the stories in paint.

There is a trance-like quality to them. Ten Krooden is a séance, a medium through which the spirit of a place speaks to us. Her paintings are vehicles that explore the vastness of landscapes and tell us of their hidden magic and the meaning of rain, rocks and sands…..

…As one writer has pointed out, “her works are poetic, primitive and often magical, reminding the spectator of humanity’s earliest experience of a dangerous and wonderful world. She uses signs reminiscent of Bushmen drawings and ancient Egyptian writing, against backgrounds influenced by European genres like abstract expressionism. Her colours are deep and dark, enhancing the feeling of obscurity, primeval chaos and magic…

So to describe her as a “landscape artist” does not do justice to her metier It will be too narrow a definition and restrictive when applied to this scholarly and well-traveled artist. Her paintings, with their multiple layerings, of rich colours, a unique gold-leaf process and sharp graphic line work, are nothing less than visual feasts of spiritual manifestations.

At first look, they are vast and, seemingly still. But a closer look reveals details that are varied and intense. Embedded fossils, slush from a golden rain, amber coloured rocks, reflections in a calm sea, a gathering nightfall, doors that show mysterious messages, stone waves in the rock formations of ancient Petra, the dignity of a place of worship atop a hill, a deserted beach in Dubai, white spring flowers near Hatta that flaunt their beauty outrageously, the magic of the Mussandam peninsula or a Slow dawn in the mist – are filled with exquisite details that elevate her paintings from the mundane to the spiritual…”

Click Here – Full Portfolio

Muhammad Yusuf

“What Lynette did with this exhibition is to stand back to take a deep breath and to respire this breathing back into her work.  She surely did not betray her own artistic yearnings since all the works here, even the light and sensitive drawings (which Lynette has for the first time put on an exhibition) retain the same atmosphere of mystery and wonder.  By giving breath to her work – and at the same time giving us the feeling of breathing – her works, in the words of James Douglas, acquire the quality of a reverie of suspended thought.  Or, to use the words of May Sarton, the works become felt presences.

Indeed, Lynette, your work displayed here tonight, carries a splendid message, namely that even the most accomplished artist such as you are, must constantly take a deep breath and in a sense re-invent his or her art.  I am sure with your spirit and artist mind filled with so much air and the renewed freshness of breathing, you are ready to climb the next high mountain of artistic achievement.  “

Prof Marinus Wiechers

It is many moons later and the quest is still the same, perhaps looking deeper into the essence of our the hidden ,living, breathing landscape.

WATER  as a theme has become AQUIFERS as luminescent, magical spaces, imbedded in the rock. Spaces where gold as the purest metal is formed, where water leaves behind  opals and crystals.Jewelboxes and fossils finds. Life-giving  aquifers  that is constantly threatened by the exploits of mankind.

INDIGO, the colour Titles like TIMELINES,MIRAGE,FIRE STONE,PRIMAL DELTA are some of the revisited and new stories.

 

“SHORELINES” maps the geological eroding and transformation of our shorelines.

 

My paintings try to capture the metaphysical beauty of sea, sand, stones,fossils and earth.The geological eroding and transformations of our Living Earth.

 

LYNETTE TEN KROODEN
2015

The Golden Year – Lynette Ten Krooden

” Looking  back through the mind files of my 60 years as a lonely traveller of this earth, this place  we call HOME, has left me speechless on many occasions, no less now.

Since training as an artist and archaeologist, I have been fascinated with the earth, its formations and the ever changing eco systems which mankind might influence, but never completely destroy or alter. Gaia will always rejuvenate herself…she only needs Time on her side. In the words of Carl Sagan We are a mere tiny blip on a tiny dot  in the vast universe out there and after we have left, Gaia will again go back to restore.

I always say that we should carry a compass on our arms for direction, because we cannot do anything about the universal systems of Time and Space. We are only visitors here; Gaia tolerates us, nurtures us, and gives us the wonderful opportunity to experience her micro and macro cosmos.

Travelling for many years over the deserts, mountains, forests and waters of Africa and The Middle East has made me acutely aware of the erosion and ever-changing evolution of our planet. Rainforests are disappearing; deserts are expanding, even noticeable from the window of a commercial aircraft.

The future of our fragile existence on this planet depends on how humanity deals with the nexus of energy and economics. The essence of  past lives, existing based on breathing and concentrating sunlight, is our legacy. Remembering the miracle of transformation   might make mankind aware of our fragile existence and our engine of consumption.”

Lynette Ten Krooden 2015

It has been a joy to be a part of Lynettes journey over the last 20 years. Her philosophies, humanity and incredible talent have enriched the lives of so many in so many corners of this fragile world of ours. We are proud to call her a colleague and a friend

Happy Golden Year Lynette

Alison Collins 2015

More…

Udaybhanu – Hues and Barks

Opening 24th- October until 26th- November.

Who said Fauvism or Impressionism is restricted to paintings and never makes it presence felt in photography, or photography lasts only for a glimpse, with nothing to delve beyond that, and who was it that instead a story cannot be delineated with a few abstract clicks of a photographer, or good photographs are those that undergo makeovers with the click of graphic software. Udaybhanu, who calls himself an environmental activist, is in a sole resolve to rewrite such preconceived myths about photography. This artist, who has an eye for the extraordinary, is leaving no stone unturned when he scurries about to narrate the heart-wrenching story of a tree. The series ‘Hues and Barks’ is nothing but spellbinding art captured with an implacable mind that doesn’t compromise on mediocrity. It takes a few minutes for you to come to terms with the fact that Udaybhanu’s pictures are no abstract art but photographs that resemble paintings in more way than one.

Trees sacrificed their lives for us bipeds long before we were called Hominids. They provided food, shelter, clothes and fire to light up the dawn of civilization. Later they gave papyrus and charcoal to write their own story.

Nature had been signing itself on tree trunks even earlier with a biological time signature. These growth rings carved the biorhythms of the earth. The high degree of seasonal temperatures, rainfalls, and other climatic changes were fossilized in living trees talking to us down the millennia.

View Udaybhanu Portfolio

 

Udaybhanu

Uday Pic

Who said Fauvism or Impressionism is restricted to paintings and never makes it presence felt in photography, or photography lasts only for a glimpse, with nothing to delve beyond that, and who was it that instead a story cannot be delineated with a few abstract clicks of a photographer, or good photographs are those that undergo makeovers with the click of graphic software. Udaybhanu, who calls himself an environmental activist, is in a sole resolve to rewrite such preconceived myths about photography. This artist, who has an eye for the extraordinary, is leaving no stone unturned when he scurries about to narrate the heart-wrenching story of a tree. The series ‘Hues and Barks’ is nothing but spellbinding art captured with an implacable mind that doesn’t compromise on mediocrity. It takes a few minutes for you to come to terms with the fact that Udaybhanu’s pictures are no abstract art but photographs that resemble paintings in more way than one.

View Udaybhanu Portfolio

 

Botanical Watercolours with Susan Thomson

With the cooler months ahead of us we have planned

some wonderful workshops

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Botanical Watercolours with Susan Thomson

Suitable for all abilities as tuition is on a one to one basis

Saturday and Sunday

February 21st. 22nd. 28th and 1st March

Tuesday and Wednesday.

February 24th and 25th

10 am – 1pm All materials provided

Dhms 350 per session

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Chalk PaintTM Decorative Paint By Annie Sloan

These amazing paints and waxes can be applied to so many different

surfaces in so many different ways, producing unique finishes and effects

that can transform the dullest piece of furniture into a thing of beauty.

Saturday courses are aimed at taking students through the basic techniques

of applying Chalk Paint to various surfaces, producing textures,

and the effects than can be achieved with dark and light wax.

Sunday courses build on these basic techniques and introduce students

to the use of Annie Sloane gilding methods, decoupage and stencilling.

Whilst there are some recommended ways to use Annie Sloan products,

it is very much up to the individual to develop their own signature and creativity.

If we have enough interest we can run this course on a Saturday afternoon 2.30 – 5.30 pm

Saturday Dates

January 31st.

February 14th.

March 7th. March 21st.

April 18th

Sunday Dates

February 1st February 15th.

March 8th March 22nd.

April 19th

10 am – 1 pm all materials provided 450 Dirhams per session.

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To book a course simply e mail or phone us through the links below

We also have good stocks of

Chalk PaintTM Decorative Paint By Annie Sloan

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www.themajlisgallery.com majlisgallery@gmail.com tel +9714 3536233

We are supported by

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This Season’s Programme

 

Uday Bhanu
“Hues And Barks”
Opening Saturday October 23rd
Lynette Ten Krooden
“The Golden Year”
Opens on 5th of December

 

Art Shack Bargains

With 25 Years behind us as the prime Fine Art Gallery  in Dubai we have, as you can imagine, quite a bit of old stock.  We want you to benefit from the fact that our artists would like these pieces to find new homes at 50% of the listed price. Click Here to see Art Shack Bargains Portfolio