CAIRO - What's the first thing you search for when you look at an artist's work? His vision or the texture or the emotional side? As for me, I cannot keep looking, admirably, at an artwork unless it has a vision. Art without vision is 'tasteless' and makes no sense, while an art with a vision is an 'aesthetic' and 'invaluable'. Helen Keller, a blind American author, once said: “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight, but no vision". Despite the talented artist was blind, she had a vision, which was 'her sun' that gave her light and guided her to the bright side of life. Some artists create paintings, in which their vision is easily visible to the viewer. While others like to depict abstract paintings which, more like hard-to-do mazes, are hard to reach 'their end' (the ultimate meaning). At an exhibition, titled “Contemporary Visions III” being held in the Cairobased Khan el-Maghraby Gallery, the displayed works of three veteran artists prominently highlight what is meant by 'art with a vision'. The three artists participating in the exhibition …quot; which showcases paintings and sculpture …quot; has different visions, but three common things; "sense", "talent", and "creative imagination". What captivated me most in the exhibition is the 'impressive' sculpture produced by the highly talented artist Assem Sharaf. I was fascinated by their beauty and the message they impart too. Artist Assem Sharaf believes that if man distances himself from nature, he separates himself from life. This refined artistic vision is perfectly reflected in his exhibited productions. In his artworks …quot; created using a mix of hay, dough, and paper - maps and human figures have been harmoniously sculpted together into 'one, complete thing', showing that man is part of the earth and nature, and so they cannot be divorced from each other. "A Human body has, like Earth, undulations, and so we, human beings, are in a case which connects us to earth. I want to say that there is life on earth, and we cannot taste this life without communicating with people and the nature surrounding us," Sharaf told The Egyptian Gazette. "I adore life. I like every living thing. I cannot isolate myself from trees, ground, sea, water, desert and any living thing. If I did, I would no longer feel beauty and be dead alive. We can sense the quality of life in the beauty of nature, rather than the material objects," Sharaf added. Sharaf's transposed his intensive sense of life into his sculpture, making them all the more appealing. Now I would move to another artist - Omar el-Fayoumy - and speak 'honestly' about his paintings from "my own point of view". Figures are central in el-Fayoumy's works. All of his paintings - displayed at the exhibition - depict naked women. Despite the artist's paintings has a tightlyknot texture, they lack their 'aesthetic value', as they are independent from a didactic purpose. His paintings were created solely for art's sake, and so their value is, simply, that they were created. This concept "art for an art's sake" is idle, and the artists following it don't necessary reflect a vision. Art must be 'functional', and the artist's duty is to create a work of art, which tell a message or, at least, convey something to the viewer. I felt too shy to speak with the artist about his paintings. But I was encouraged by the friendly atmosphere, to ask the artist "if they impart any message". "My paintings weren't meant to say something. I just want the viewers to interact with them," answered the 57-year-old artist Omar el-Fayoumy. However, the paintings' distinctive design and the 'interplay of dark and predominantly light colours' have got the attention of most visitors. "I make use of colour to breathe life into my paintings," the artist told this newspaper. Sherif Abdel Badie, the third artist, depicted abstract, expressive paintings, which impressed the viewers. Since they are abstract, I found it hard to get their meaning, and tried to figure out what they look like or represent. Sometimes we, when engrossed in deepest thinking, start to draw random forms by instinct on a sheet of paper, and create as big a mess as possible. This messy form is abstract, but meaningless. And so it cannot be called an art. It is just a spontaneous act. Not every abstract form is art. A genuine, abstract art, like the paintings of artist Abdel Badie, comes out of a 'preconceived plan', 'imagination', and compositional skills', and above all a 'vision'. If an abstract work of art has all these elements, it generates emotional response. When you keep looking at Abdel Badie's paintings, they mesmerise you and evoke emotions. But you will find it hard to interpret them. You can only extract their genuine meaning from the artist himself. Unfortunately, I was not given the chance to talk to the artist and know about his painting's underlying meaning, since he has not been there at the time.
