Osman Waqialla facts for kids

Osman Waqialla (Arabic: عثمان وقيع الله, born 1925 – died 4 January 2007) was a talented artist and calligrapher from Sudan. He was famous for using Arabic letters in a very creative way in his art. He mixed African and Islamic cultural traditions into the contemporary art of Sudan. His special way of using Arabic calligraphy as a modern design, not just for religious texts, made him part of an art movement called the Hurufiyya movement.

Life and career

Osman Waqialla was born in Rufa'a, a town in central Sudan. This town is located on the banks of the Blue Nile river. He studied at the School of Design in Gordon Memorial College, Khartoum, Sudan, and finished in 1945.

In 1946, he received a special award called a scholarship. This allowed him to move to England to study art. He joined the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in London and finished his studies there in 1949. Later, he moved to Cairo, Egypt. There, he trained to become a calligrapher under a famous master named Sayyid Muhammed Ibrahim.

New ideas in art

While studying in London and Cairo, Waqialla explored new ways to use Arabic writing in his paintings. He was one of the first artists to use Arabic calligraphy in a modern, non-religious way. Before him, calligraphy was mostly used for sacred Islamic texts like the Quran. His idea to use it for modern art was very new and exciting at the time.

After finishing his studies, he returned to Sudan in the early 1950s. He taught at the College of Fine and Applied Art. This college is part of the Sudan University of Science and Technology. Some of his students, like Ibrahim el-Salahi, later became important artists themselves. They helped create a new Sudanese modern art movement.

From 1954 to 1964, Osman Waqialla also ran his own graphic design studio called Studio Osman. This studio was a popular meeting place for artists and thinkers in Khartoum. Besides his paintings, he also wrote poetry and articles about culture. In 1956, he designed the first banknotes for Sudan, which had just become an independent country.

In 1967, he moved back to London. He worked as a special advisor for a company that makes banknotes, called De La Rue. Osman Waqialla passed away on January 4, 2007, in Sudan, when he was 81 years old.

Work and context in 20th century art from Sudan

Osman Waqialla was part of a group of Sudanese artists. This group later became known as the Khartoum School. These artists wanted to create their own unique art style. They did not want to just copy Western art ideas. Instead, they looked to their own culture and history for inspiration.

The Hurufiyya movement

Waqialla was one of the first artists in the 20th century to explore modern forms of Arabic calligraphy. He combined African culture and Islamic art traditions into his modern Sudanese artworks. He used Arabic letter forms and filled the spaces between them with bright colors. This way of using calligraphy in art that was not religious placed Waqialla within the Hurufiyya movement. This movement is also known as the Al-hurufiyyah movement.

Waqialla's art has been shown in many places around the world. His exhibitions include Africa, the Middle East, the United States, and Europe. One important exhibition was Seven Stories about Modern Art in Africa. This show started at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London in 1995. In the same year, he also showed his work at the Barbican Centre in London. That exhibition was called Signs, Traces and Calligraphy.

You can find his artwork in important collections. These include the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., and the British Museum in London. Many of his works are also in private collections. Most of his art, however, remains in Sudan.

Salah M. Hassan, a professor of art history, said that Osman Waqialla should be praised. He said Waqialla helped free Arabic calligraphy from its traditional use in religious texts. He was brave in exploring how calligraphy could be used in modern poetry and other writings.

List of selected artworks

• Kaf ha ya ayn sadd, 1980 British Museum
• Kufic calligraphy, 1991
• Calligraphy Coming to Life, date unknown
• Portrait of a Man, date unknown

Selected exhibitions

• 1952: Osman Waiquialla, Cultural Centre, Khartoum (solo exhibition)
• 1969: Osman Waiquialla, Camden Art Centre, England (solo exhibition)
• 1995: Seven Stories Exhibition, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (exhibition of modern African art)
• 1995: Signs, Traces and Calligraphy Show, Barbican Art Centre, The Curve Gallery, London
• 1996: Seven Stories Exhibition, Guggenheim Museum, New York
• 1999: Writing Arabic, British Museum's touring exhibition
• 2006: Word into Art, British Museum

See also

In Spanish: Osman Waqialla para niños