ART in all its forms of expression focuses on the identity of the artist in terms of their culture and tradition. Artistic expressions are a direct reflection of a people and a nation – a unique image. All art forms are a form of communication with the past, present and the future, which is evident in the work of Saudi artists, who attempt to retain the history of their country, while at the same time portraying its dynamic present and hinting at future changes to come. Let's study the motivations behind some Saudi artists and their works of art, from the perspective of the three major schools of art, which dominate the artist's goals and aims. Realism is one school of art where the artist duplicates what he or she is looking at: a still life, a landscape, etc. The artist is conservative in his or her approach and yet must retain the visual core of what he sees. The strokes on the canvas or other material are like the artist's handwriting, and record what is past, even though the image may be contemporary. The artist imprints a tradition of a specific culture based on his own unique perspective. “I paint exactly what I see, like the old masters in the history of art, but my tones and strokes retain the heart of the Bedouin traditions”, says Saudi artist, Ahmed Al-Bander. Abstraction is another school of art where the artist struggles with a new reality, in that he or she takes nature and breaks it into segments both large and small to reorganize a new reality. Color and line are reinvented into an original statement that reflects the Saudi soul and point of view. “There can be no mistake that my images are from the Middle East as color, line and form extend the age-old tradition,” says another Saudi artist Mohammed Al-Bander, who recreates the beautiful surroundings of Abha in his work. The abstract artist reshuffles reality into new visual statements that challenge the viewer. “Our images in the abstract are all based on a serious and dedicated study of the history of past Saudi art. We base our images on historical statements and our own thoughts and emotions,” says Abdullah Nasser, an artist in Jeddah who loves the sea and the open air of the Corniche. The non-objective school of art is perhaps the most challenging, as it deals entirely with feelings and with moods. Any connection to any form of reality is visually not under consideration. The non-objective artist deals with emotions like ‘love', ‘hate', ‘fear', ‘happiness', ‘anxiety', ‘frustration', ‘stress', ‘worry', ‘friendship' etc. The artist paints with what he or she feels and not with what he or she sees, making this art form a highly personal form of expression. Non-objective art is a transparent reflection of who and what the artist is a human being in a varied cultural and traditional setting. The artist digs deep into ‘self'. Saudi artists also create ‘sculpture', which is art in the third dimension. The working materials can be wood, metal, sand, paper, plastic and other mixed media. The artist deals with and struggles with the form whether it be realistic, abstract or non-objective. “I let my feelings and emotions dictate the image that I ultimately produce,” says Fahad Kareem who works in different areas of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In all schools of art the artist struggles to reproduce his or her identity visually for the enjoyment of the community, within the Kingdom as well as abroad. __
