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Painters showcase art they created to confront COVID
By Raghad Zayed, Jordan news
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AMMAN — The Art Hub on Saturday hosted a group art exhibition titled
“Art in the Time of the Pandemic.” The exhibition featured paintings created over
the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.اضافة اعلان
The over 120 works by 19 artists include portraits, landscapes, still life, and anatomy in pastel, watercolor, and oil paints.
The event was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, and was attended by the ministry’s assistant secretary general, Ahmad Rashed. Certificates of participation and medals were presented to the artists partaking in the event.
The exhibition featured over 120 paintings created over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic by 19 artists. (Photos: Raghad Zayed/Jordan News)
Rashed told Jordan News that art exhibitions constitute a vital part of the Jordanian and international art movement.
“Art plays a great role in refining people’s talents and guiding them at the same time,” he said, adding that “generally, art affects people positively whether in terms of thinking or application.”
Art’s main role is refining people’s “spiritual state” and helps them develop and relate to the world around them, the assistant secretary general explained.
“If more people had artistic taste, we would have overcome many social problems,” he stressed.
Rashed contended that artists’ role is to raise awareness of social issues, adding that countries “rely on cultured people ... to improve society and its people.”
The exhibition featured over 120 paintings created over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic by 19 artists. (Photos: Raghad Zayed/Jordan News)
Omeed Abbas, artist and art instructor at the Art Hub, told Jordan News that the purpose of the exhibition was to confront COVID-19, adding that the virus “destroyed the world”, dealt a heavy blow to the economy and “frightened people”.
“My students had the will and the passion to learn art and they did it,” said Abbas, who has been teaching for 30 years. The paintings took a year and a half of hard work to complete, he added.
Abbas explained that his students worked on their art to overcome the stress caused by the pandemic, which took a toll on people’s mental health.
He stressed that over the past year and a half, his students have learned more than what art students learn in four years at universities.
“We loved to feature our work to people and this exhibition was our first experience,” Abbas said. He and his students are already planning their second exhibition.
The exhibition featured over 120 paintings created over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic by 19 artists. (Photos: Raghad Zayed/Jordan News)
Samir Odeh, owner of the Art Hub, explained that the academy is affiliated with the Samir and Ghassan art shop, which was founded in 1978 to supply artists in Jordan with art equipment.
Odeh told Jordan News that the lack of formal art education in Jordan inspired the academy’s establishment. “We turned from mere art traders into art lovers,” he said.
“Through this exhibition, we tried to present the Art Hub’s students to people, feature their artwork, and encourage them,” the owner said, adding that for many participants it was their first time showcasing their work publically.
Rima Khader, an artist participating in the exhibition, said in an interview with Jordan News that their teacher helped them improve themselves.
“The center provided us with a comfortable place and a good atmosphere for painting,” she added.
“I learned almost all types of painting,” including a many techniques she had not known about before, Khader said.
“Art is everything to me. After a whole year with instructor Abbas and the center, my ultimate goal is to improve myself and become an artist in every sense of the word,” she concluded.
Read more in Culture and Arts
The over 120 works by 19 artists include portraits, landscapes, still life, and anatomy in pastel, watercolor, and oil paints.
The event was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, and was attended by the ministry’s assistant secretary general, Ahmad Rashed. Certificates of participation and medals were presented to the artists partaking in the event.
The exhibition featured over 120 paintings created over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic by 19 artists. (Photos: Raghad Zayed/Jordan News)
Rashed told Jordan News that art exhibitions constitute a vital part of the Jordanian and international art movement.
“Art plays a great role in refining people’s talents and guiding them at the same time,” he said, adding that “generally, art affects people positively whether in terms of thinking or application.”
Art’s main role is refining people’s “spiritual state” and helps them develop and relate to the world around them, the assistant secretary general explained.
“If more people had artistic taste, we would have overcome many social problems,” he stressed.
Rashed contended that artists’ role is to raise awareness of social issues, adding that countries “rely on cultured people ... to improve society and its people.”
The exhibition featured over 120 paintings created over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic by 19 artists. (Photos: Raghad Zayed/Jordan News)
Omeed Abbas, artist and art instructor at the Art Hub, told Jordan News that the purpose of the exhibition was to confront COVID-19, adding that the virus “destroyed the world”, dealt a heavy blow to the economy and “frightened people”.
“My students had the will and the passion to learn art and they did it,” said Abbas, who has been teaching for 30 years. The paintings took a year and a half of hard work to complete, he added.
Abbas explained that his students worked on their art to overcome the stress caused by the pandemic, which took a toll on people’s mental health.
He stressed that over the past year and a half, his students have learned more than what art students learn in four years at universities.
“We loved to feature our work to people and this exhibition was our first experience,” Abbas said. He and his students are already planning their second exhibition.
The exhibition featured over 120 paintings created over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic by 19 artists. (Photos: Raghad Zayed/Jordan News)
Samir Odeh, owner of the Art Hub, explained that the academy is affiliated with the Samir and Ghassan art shop, which was founded in 1978 to supply artists in Jordan with art equipment.
Odeh told Jordan News that the lack of formal art education in Jordan inspired the academy’s establishment. “We turned from mere art traders into art lovers,” he said.
“Through this exhibition, we tried to present the Art Hub’s students to people, feature their artwork, and encourage them,” the owner said, adding that for many participants it was their first time showcasing their work publically.
Rima Khader, an artist participating in the exhibition, said in an interview with Jordan News that their teacher helped them improve themselves.
“The center provided us with a comfortable place and a good atmosphere for painting,” she added.
“I learned almost all types of painting,” including a many techniques she had not known about before, Khader said.
“Art is everything to me. After a whole year with instructor Abbas and the center, my ultimate goal is to improve myself and become an artist in every sense of the word,” she concluded.
Read more in Culture and Arts
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