Khalid al-Jader (1922–1988) was a distinguished Iraqi artist, administrator and scholar. In terms of his artwork, he is seen as a precursor to modern abstract art in Iraq.

Life and career

Khalid al-Jader was born in Baghdad in 1922. He attended the Middle Eastern School in Baghdad. In 1937, while still a secondary school student, he began to contribute drawings in Chinese ink to the new literary magazine ''Al-Naba'a'' published by writer, Ahmed Hussein Al-Mahdawi. This was to be the beginning of his career as an artist. He studied at the College of Law and art at the Institute of Fine Art concurrently, graduating in 1946 with degrees in both art and law. In 1947, after graduating from arts school, he obtained a position teaching painting at the Adhamiya High School. However his mother had wanted him to pursue a career in law and he did not want to disappoint her. Each morning, he would come out carrying a satchel to give the impression that he was going off to court, when, he was in fact, going to teach at the local school. Khalid al-Jader travelled to Paris on scholarship to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in 1954 and earned a Ph.D. in the History of Islamic Art from the Sorbonne. The title of his dissertation was, "The Medieval Iraqi Manuscripts in the National Library of Paris." While in Paris, al-Jader developed a lifelong passion for the

Impressionists Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

and joined the

Salon de Paris The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...

. On returning to Baghdad, al-Jader accepted the position of Dean of the Institute of Fine Arts; a position he held for several years. In 1962 under the supervision of the President of

Baghdad University The University of Baghdad (UOB) ( ar, جامعة بغداد ''Jāmi'at Baghdād'') is the largest university in Iraq, tenth largest in the Arab world, and the largest university in the Arab world outside Egypt. Nomenclature Both University ...

, he founded the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

along with his colleagues Dr. Aziz Shalal Aziz and Dr. As'ad Abdul Razak, and later became its Dean. As an administrator, he was "meticulous." Through these administrative activities, al-Jader advanced the professionalisation of art education in Iraq. He was an active participant in the Iraqi modern art movement, especially through his involvement in Iraq's various art groups. He recognised the value of art societies while still at secondary school, when he joined the Al-Da'ad National Society at the Middle Eastern School, where he attended. In his adult life, he held several prominent positions and memberships in art institutions and organizations including the Pioneers Group and the Impressionists Group. He also joined the Society of Iraqi Plastic Artists, and for a time was the Head of Society of Iraqi Artists. He spent much of his later life travelling. In the late 1960s, he travelled to Berlin where he spent two years on a research project. In the early 1970s, he moved Saudi Arabia where he studied at the

Riyadh University King Saud University (KSU, ar, جامعة الملك سعود) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulaziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the first university in the ...

. In the early 1980s, he travelled to

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

in Morocco to work as a teacher at the Higher Institute of Journalism. In Morocco, he travelled extensively throughout the country, visiting the cities of Fez, Meknès, Casablanca and Tetouan where he continually sketched the locations and people. He died on 2 December 1988 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following heart surgery.

Work

He exhibited his work extensively; showing them in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Russia, Poland, and Denmark. His subject matter was drawn from everyday life; markets, streets and villages - all populated with human figures going about their daily lives. His style has been described as "impressionistic" His use of thick brushstrokes and chaotic canvasess give his work a certain abstract character. For this reason, he is often called a "precursor to abstract art" in Iraq.Bloom, J. and Blair, S. (eds), ''Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture,'' Vol. 2, p. 291

References

External links

Modern Art Iraq Archive
- includes reproductions of artworks including many of those looted from the Modern Art Museum in 2003 and not accessible in any other source {{DEFAULTSORT:Jader, Khalid al 20th-century Iraqi painters Artists from Baghdad Iraqi contemporary artists 1922 births 1988 deaths University of Paris alumni Iraqi expatriates in France

Life and career

Work

See also

References

External links