Farouk Basiouny is characterized by one of the most important feature to be found in an artist which is `unity`. Unity between the work of art and the artist which in turn is unity between the artistic image and the culture of its creator, in a way that does not appear as dualism between the image and the rational awareness of its creator.
So as when we see the work of art as if we are seeing the artist himself with his culture, presence, vibrations, movement in the air, and his body frequency in emptiness.
A unity between the imagination in the painting, and the creator of this painting; since there is no gab between the doing and its doer, or between the requisites on the work and those in the attitude of the artist whether collective or single.
Lots of people overlooked the essential criterion of art, they gave importance to what they valued in itself, and considered independent both in body and intellect from its creator till the value lost its lines as considered (the manner) which is parallel to the aesthetic doing. Not only that, but this value even became a repeated rhythm, and mechanical model based on the conditions of quantitative production which is a contextual action known in the present world of utilitarianism.
When we look at Farouk Basiouny, we will find that he is an essential part of the painting. He is a model of the idea of unity and truthfulness when we see truthfulness as a normative element of the aesthetic process.
When we look at the work of art itself for sometime, we will find the resemblance between this work and its creator.
His modern paintings has this kind of bitter mechanical calmness, systematic rhythm, recurrent and honest lights, bitter sarcasm in facing a `cursed` world reminding us with the `Shakespearian` tragedy, `classical` balance of the recurrent structure of the painting`s elements, and finally, a tough of melancholy buried in colors which gives his works a sense of seriousness and gravity. If we came closer to the surface, we will find perfect processing built with touch of morning light till it became the body of Farouk Basiouny himself.
He is of that kind of artists who can turn `raw tangible` into `aesthetic tangible` which gives us a clue about the features of the angle from which he selects his artistic image. When he tackles the `raw tangible`, searching for the world begins; at this point imagination goes through several processes of filtering and sculpting, till this aesthetic tangible is
formed.
Artists like `Lege`, `Gabo`, `Ensor`, `Yevredo lam, and even `Nevelson` did not have premature sensual visual images, but they faced themselves when they were in a certain state called `moment of gleam` which begins with the actual practice. This same moment of gleam is the one we try to reach with Farouk Basiouny.
`Ahmed Fouad Selim` |