Amman — In the works of Suad Mustafa Al-Qudsi, the subject is not the endpoint of the painting but rather the starting point for an approach that explores the relationship between form, color and light. The elements retain their clarity, while the artist gives them room to rearrange their presence within the work through the distribution of masses, variations in color tones, and contrasts between light and shadow. In this way, the painting remains close to reality in its subject matter without stopping at direct representation, instead giving the scene a distinctive visual treatment.
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This approach places Al-Qudsi’s work within a space that embraces expressive realism and Impressionism, while also incorporating classical treatment depending on the nature of each work. For her, style is not a fixed template but a means of achieving an approach that serves the idea while preserving the artist’s individual identity.
Speaking to Al-Ghad, Al-Qudsi said that “the idea is what guides her in choosing the method of treatment,” adding that she does not want to repeat the same style in every work. She believes that openness to different art movements gives artists broader options, provided that this diversity remains connected to a clear vision and does not become a random shift between styles.
Abstraction is not a central path in her artistic practice, as she generally maintains the recognizability of the subject, but she does not treat it as a ready-made image to be reproduced. For her, a scene can be reconstructed, and the relationship between elements, spaces and lighting can give it a different presence, moving the work from description toward expression.
Al-Qudsi believes that an artist should not remain confined to a single style, as artistic experience develops through knowledge, practice and interaction with others. She stressed that engaging with multiple art movements can expand an artist’s creative tools, but requires an awareness that keeps the artist’s individual identity present in the work.
Over six years, according to her artistic biography, Al-Qudsi has participated in more than 300 group exhibitions and symposia, in addition to international participation in Egypt and an exhibition at the Indian Embassy in Jordan. She has also participated in the Jerash Festival over the past two years, as well as in the “Bashayer Jerash” events.
She noted that the extensive participation gave her the opportunity to engage with diverse artistic experiences and observe different approaches to constructing artworks, while also interacting with artists and audiences. She views symposia and exhibitions not merely as spaces for displaying work, but also as opportunities for learning and reassessing artistic choices.
Her participation in the “Breathe” exhibition, alongside a number of artists, marked an important stage in her career, from which her involvement in the local visual arts scene began to expand. She also held her first solo exhibition at the House of Literature for Culture and Arts in Zarqa, at the invitation of writer and author Ahmad Abu Hliwa, moving from the space of collective participation to presenting her work through a more independent vision.
Al-Qudsi believes that a solo exhibition places a different responsibility on the artist, as it involves more than simply presenting individual works. It requires creating a visual context through which the artistic experience can be viewed more comprehensively. This space also gives artists an opportunity to review their work and identify areas that need development.
She explained that her artistic journey has been based on learning and practice, and that receiving a set of oil paints from her father at the age of 16 was an important turning point toward more serious artistic practice. She continued her self-directed learning through books, studying the principles of drawing and working on murals, before later taking two painting courses with specialized female artists, which contributed to the development of her work.
In her paintings, Al-Qudsi seeks to keep the subject clear while giving it room to transform within the composition. An element does not derive its value simply from its presence, but from its position and relationship with its surroundings, while contrasts between spaces, colors and shadows help guide the eye through the work.
Ultimately, Al-Qudsi’s experience has reached a stage that calls for moving from accumulated experience toward greater definition of her visual language.
Extensive participation provides valuable exposure, while openness to different art movements broadens her options. However, the uniqueness of an artistic experience takes shape when this knowledge is transformed into artistic decisions that can be recognized within the painting itself.
Al-Qudsi concluded by saying that “her artistic experience remains open to learning and experimentation,” and that the diversity of styles is not an end in itself, but rather a space for searching for the treatment that best serves each work. She stressed that, over time, artists become more aware of their choices and better able to recognize what aligns with their vision. She noted that her ambition is focused on continuing to develop her visual language, maintaining her distinctive presence, and producing works that convey her feelings and ideas while leaving an impression on the viewer. From this perspective, the next stage of Al-Qudsi’s artistic journey appears to be linked to transforming the breadth of her creative tools and extensive participation into a more cohesive and distinctive visual language. Diversity gains its value when it serves a clear vision, while experience becomes more meaningful when its impact is visible in the structure of the work itself.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Ahmad Al-Shawabkeh
