Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: Also known as the Leonardo Da Vinci of Oman for his Monalisa painting, Shaker Jalal recently won the first prize in Oman for a painting of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
In 2016, Jalal had started a series of paintings featuring Arabian horses.
Asked why animal painting is special for him, Jalal replied, “Every animal has its own story and they can show emotions, feelings in different ways like with their eyes or ears. Animals like humans to show their emotion and feelings through their body language.”
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He explained that horses are beautiful and magnificent creatures; they are part of Omani culture and also any culture around the world. They are human’s companions throughout good and bad times.
Jalal is a member of the Oman Fine Arts Society and has represented Oman at Brazil in 2014 and in the United Arab Emirates in 2015. Additionally, he has participated in numerous art events in the Arab world and globally.
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Painting and art for Shaker Jalal is a way of communication. “I feel fortunate to be an artist. I love to communicate with paintings. For me, painting is a universal language, which will allow you to connect with the world,” the award winning artist stated.
His future plans include a new and an innovative art academy for young Omani artists to promote their art and the Omani artist globally as he believes that fine art is an effective way to promote the country’s culture globally.
Many of the young Omani artist’s first canvases feature human faces. “People’s faces are the most challenging to paint because they show different emotions even without realising it,” Jalal said, adding that faces are the first thing an observer sees in a person when meeting someone for the first time. A face will give you an idea of his moods, emotional state and even where he comes from.
“By painting faces, I capture those moments, the story the face is telling or trying to tell,” Jalal said. “The secret is to practice all the time so that you learn. If you follow the wrong technique, your painting may lack the wow factor, so it is important to get it right. If you get the details correctly, it will look realistic,” Jalal concluded.
