Jamal Abdul Rahim is a prominent Bahraini artist. Although he is officially a self-taught artist, his swirls, dashes and bold use of color have gained him praise on the international level.
Abdul Raheem was born in 1965 in the city of al-Muharraq, Bahrain. His foray into the art world began in 1984 upon his return from India where he studied the art of drawing.
His subsequent work has been extensively exhibited in Europe and the Middle East and has been widely appreciated due to its use of warm colors. “I apply warm colors as we are living in a hot climate with plenty of sunlight” Abdul Raheem explains.
Inspired by the principles of pure reality, Abdul Raheem chooses to portray his subjects in their most realistic form.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in his portraits of famous historical figures; Um Kalthoum, Marlon Brando and the Statue of David have been represented in oil paintings.
Abdul Raheem chooses to immerse his paintings in an intense light with the aim of clearly depicting every facet of his subjects’ features.
The artist also uses forms beyond traditional painting, sculptures in stone and bronze for example. Vivid color and Middle Eastern iconography run through the plethora of his work -- these are his identifying markers.
Abdul Raheem strongly believes artists require a certain level of skill before embarking upon the journey of creation; “portrait painting is not easy and many artists fail to unlock the secrets of this discipline” he says.
