“….and the Heart of JerusalemStill Beats.”

»ومـــــــــــا زال للقـــدس قلـــــــــب ينبــــــــــض...«

Dr. Ali Qleibo

Oil Paintings

“We are lost, afflicted only this one way: that having no hope, we live in longing.”Dante Alighieri, The Inferno, Canto IV

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Jerusalem is the source of my inspiration…

Jerusalem floats as a vision of gold. Yellow ochre, cream, grey, pink, and red bounce off the meleke and mizzi stones and give the Holy City a magical luminescent painterly quality. The variety of carved stones: White mele stone, cream-coloured limestone, red-coloured and grey crystalline dolomite impart to Jerusalem its unique character. Sunlight on the cream-coloured limestone edifices gives them a golden ochre hue. The light reflects off the facades of sumptuous Mamluk and Ottoman edifices, dissolves the spectrum of lustrous colours, and soaks Jerusalem labyrinthine alleys in a haze of translucent amber honey. Shades of pale blue lurk beneath the edges of the stairs, navy blue in the gaping tunnel-like doorways that becomes deep purple piling under the cavernous covered passageways. The glow of the daylight yields to night. By the time the muezzin calls for evening prayer the stones drown in soft grey-blue under a lapis lazuli sky. By night the domed roofs huddle together under mysterious deep purple-blue to be dispelled by the golden ochre light of sunrise.

My new collection, “…and the Heart of Jerusalem Still Beats,” is, in fact, one synchronic vision that finds its expression in twenty-one paintings. For inspiration does not come in bits and pieces, painting by painting or paragraph by paragraph. Rather art is a totalizing multi faceted experience of which each individual expression is but a partial refraction of the inspired vision.

A writer and a painter, I alternately move between the two forms of expression. To write or to paint is the question. Text, word, image, and colour form an interdependent unit that gives expression to amorphous trends of thoughts and feelings that agitate there beyond the horizon of my consciousness. Anthropologist, researcher, and author, I am susceptible to writing descriptive narratives that spill out into my artwork as concrete images and impart a figurative quality to the surface of the painting. These preliminary realist outlines, delineated by the painting brush and charcoal, both of which are held in the hand like a writing pen, are superseded, erased, and obliterated under layers of heavy bold impasto palette knife. Consequently colour triumphs over line. As the painting progresses the surface composition is liberated from the delimitation of experiential reality and metamorphoses into a visual tactile expression with a distinct painterly quality.

My vision of Jerusalem is intensely personal. Nostalgia, longing, and an unfathomable sense of loneliness envelop Jerusalem in a halo of huzon – sublime melancholy; a bittersweet refrain whose echo reverberates behind every step in Jerusalem. The feelings overflow into art. The sensation coalesces into words that dissolve into pigments of light and shadow. The image solidifies into lines, volumes, and colour. The feelings become a painting.

Reality is that of the heart.

“…and the Heart of Jerusalem Still Beats”by Dr. Ali Qleibo

Nostalgia, longing, and an unfathomable sense of loneliness envelop Jerusalem in a halo of huzon – sublime melancholy; a bittersweet refrain whose echo reverberates behind every step in Jerusalem. The feelings overflow into art. The sensation coalesces into words that dissolve into pigments of light and shadow. The image solidifies into lines, volumes, and colour. The feelings become a painting. Reality is that of the heart.

“…And the Heart of Jerusalem Still Beats.”Oil on canvas | Private collection of Mrs. Jean gouch | 130x105

4 5Lavender Clouds50 x 70 cms | Oil On Canvas

Lavender Clouds

In winter, Jerusalem projects asense of forlorn melancholy.Lavender clouds begin to gather from early September. The thick clouds increase the level of humidity. The dry, vibrant summer ochre and rose hues bouncing off the stones of the city lose their brilliancy. An iridescent thin mist of honey gives Jerusalem its unique autumn glow. As the sun sets farther and farther south, the city plunges from bright sunshine into hazy shadow. The colour of Jerusalem in winter is grey. The stones turn grey. The sky turns grey. The purple shadows in the cavernous ‘anater’ (covered passageways) turn black-grey. The blue mosaics of the Dome of the Rock turn grey; its golden dome hardly glistens.

6 7Blindfolded Mule Oil on canvas | 100 x120 cms

Gaza Sea has always provided us with breathing spaceWhenever I think of Gaza, the image of its turquoise-colour sea immediately comes to mind.. Standing by the seashore in Gaza we feel a mysterious sense of freedom. Before the Intifada we often went to Gaza where we would stand at the seashore inhaling the sea air. We would stare nostalgically into the distant horizon to where the sea and sky dissolved into one blue line. In Jerusalem, on the other hand, we drown in history.

Double WindowOil on Canvas | 130x105

8 9The Mystery of the BlueOil on canvas | 70 x 140 cms

The Mystery of the Blue Silence dwells in Blue Translucent, bottomless, unbound Blue prompts a glimpse of the infinite Challenging, inspiring, compelling An invitation to boundless adventure Lugubrious and exhilarating Diaphanous Blue Tints…Shades…hues… Layers lurking beyond layers Meaning piling on meaning Intimations, evocations and cues Nostalgia stirs in the Blue Within…Meaning dissolves Outside………Words falter Feelings drift Spirits unleash Triumphant Transcendent Mystery dons blue. Silence dwells in blue.

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Damascus Gate Abstracted

Jerusalem floats as a vision of gold. Yellow ochre, cream, grey, pink, and red bounce off the meleke and mizzi stones from which the City of Light has been hewn to impart a magical luminescent quality. This variety of carved stone: white mele stone, cream-coloured limestone, and red-coloured and grey crystalline dolomite give Jerusalem its unique character. The setting sun reflected on the cream-coloured limestone facade of both ancient and modern structures gives them a golden hue.

Damascus Gate Abstracted130x95cms

12 13Silent Prayers Oil on canvas | 65x33cms

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Pink Dome

“The cotton market, Suq al-Qattanin, provides the most spectacular entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque. The long dark tunnel/covered passageway leads to a staircase in deep shadow. As one stands on the dark landing, the gold of the dome glistens in the bright sunlight. Climbing the dark steps one is overwhelmed by the glow outside. Slowly the eyes adjust to the light shining above one’s head. As one gazes through the small open entrance in the giant green gate, the green pine trees, the silver-green palm tree, and the blue ceramics covering the walls of the Dome of the Rock fuse into a sacred symphony of blue, green, turquoise, ochre, pink and gold.” Pink Dome

130 x 105

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We are lost,

afflicted only this one way:

that having no hope,

we live in longing.”

Dante Alighieri, The Inferno, Canto IV

Lonley Figure70x40 cms

18 19Jerusalem of the HeartOil on canvas | 45x0cms

The Garden of Gethsemane45x60 cms

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Almond Blossom

Like the almond blossom, civilization is a delicate moment of great beauty, exuding a faint fragrance. History ebbs and flows. One week it is in full bloom. The next week its petals drift, scattered by the ferocious, freezing cold, wet February storms.

Almond BlossomOil on canvas | 105x130 cms

22 23Vineyard overlooking Jerusalem: Augusta VictoriaOil on canvas | 70 x 140 cms

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The glow of the daylight yields to night. Shades of pale blue lurking beneath the edges of the stairs, navy blue in the gaping tunnel-like doorways, and deep purple under the cavernous covered passageways stretch out to dominate the city of stones. By the time the muezzin calls for evening prayer the city stones drown in soft grey-blue under a lapis lazuli sky

Blue Door(St. Demetrius Shrine)Oil on canvas | 85 x65

Covered Passage way (el –Qirami) Oil on canvas | 70x50 cm

I walk the flagstoned street in Aqabet el-Qirami, past the last surviving living shrine of El-Qirami. I watch a pious lady lighting a candle and slipping it through the metal rails of the shrine’s window. I close my eyes and try to visualise the Jerusalem of the eighteenth century.I hearken to hear its echoes. Was the road paved with flagstones then? Did the streets have lights?

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The light bounces off the facades of sumptuous Mamluk and Ottoman edifices, dissolves the spectrum of lustrous colours, and soaks Jerusalem labyrinthine alleys in a haze of translucent amber honey.

Two figuresOil on canvas | 120X 90

The BeggarOil on canvas | 70x 70 cms

Drifting CloudsOil on canvas | 60x50

28 29Franciscan BelfryOil on canvas | 45x60

Jerusalem Drowns in the RainOil on canvas | 30x45

Rain begins to fall by October. The temperature begins to drop. The daylight becomes shorter until, during the olive-harvest season, the sun begins to set by four p.m. Come December twelfth, and until the end of March, one single grey and black cloud hangs over the city. The cold intensifies, and the rain batters the city of stones. By January, the ancient, dry stones of the old city have totally absorbed the rain water. The houses become like the interior of a freezing, dank, empty, wet water jar. Outside, the wet wind howls through the winding alleys.

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Autumn LeavesOil on canvas160x120cms

32 33Domes of Khasqi Sultan Oil on canvas | 130 x105

Domes of Khasqi Sultan

I peer at the distant horizon through the rusty iron bars. I focus my gaze on the nearby homes. The two cupolas on top of the adjacent house bathe in light. Behind the cupolas, a bluish mass of shadows cascade noiselessly on the other rooftops. In the distance, beyond the domes, the yellow cupola of the Dome of the Rock shines under the golden sky of Jerusalem.”

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Dr. Ali Qleibo

Artist, Author and Anthropologist. His books Before the Mountains Disappear, Surviving the Wall, Jericho: Ten Thousand Years of History and Jerusalem in the Heart are ethnographic descriptions of everyday Palestinian culture and its historic roots in the mythos of the early Semitic Civilizations that had settled in Palestine in antiquity. The problematic of identity and cultural heritage informs his ongoing field work. The books are illustrated with Qleibo’s photographs and paintings. ” The Mystery of Japan, in Arabic language is an anthropological interpretation of Japanese civilization from a Moslem perspective. Dr. Qleibo spent three years in Tokyo, Japan, as a visiting professor.

He has written several plays, two of which were produced in Japan and Israel. Dr. Qleibo’s ethnographic-cum-art work includes filmic documentaries that cover aspects of Palestinian culture. His last film, Le Regard de l’Autre was subsidized by the French Government and discusses post-Modernism in French society and culture. The film was shot on location in Paris and was first released at the Jerusalem Film Festival in 2003.

Qleibo’s research and articles on mystical Islam, as a fellow at the Hartman Institute, have led him to lecture on Islam in various international interfaith dialogues including the prestigious “Meeting” in Rimini organized by Communion and Liberation.

The list of art exhibitions Qleibo has mounted is extensive; over the past 25 years he has been holding an annual art show. A colourist par excellence his

lyrical impressionist compositions highlight the role of colour in delineating figurative forms. In his recent art exhibition, In the Realm of Light, his use of the play of light and shadow express his spiritual Sufi interests. The art show was part of the commemoration of the 800-year anniversary of the great mystic, Jalal el-Din Rumi.

Dr. Qleibo’s painting Double Window was the first Palestinian artwork chosen by UNICEF. He has held innumerable art shows all over the world, and his artwork is kept locally and internationally in private collections in Tokyo, Vienna, Brussels, Cairo, Amman, Paris, New York, Rome, Boston, Costa Rica, Salvador, and Honduras…

After a three-year sojourn as a visiting professor in Tokyo, Japan, where he lectured on Palestinian culture and society, the semiology of Egyptian cinema, and the discourse of love in modern Arabic song, his nostalgia for Jerusalem brought him back to his hometown.Over the past seven years Dr. Qleibo has contributed monthly feature articles on various facets of Palestinian Cultural Heritage and Identity in the monthly magazine “This Week in Palestine.” In recognition of his contributions to Palestinian culture and heritage he had been honoured in 2009 by the Italian Republic with the medal of the order of Chevalier.Dr. Qleibo presently lectures on ancient classical civilizations at al-Quds University.

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Contents

2 Foreword

3 “…And the Heart of Jerusalem Still Beats.”

5 Lavender Clouds

6 Double Window

7 Blindfolded Mule

8 The Mystery of the Blue

11 Damascus Gate Abstracted

13 Silent Prayers

15 Pink Dome

17 Lonley Figure

18 The Garden of Gethsemane

19 Jerusalem of the Heart

21 Almond Blossom

23 Vineyard overlooking Jerusalem: Augusta Victoria

24 Covered Passage way

25 Blue Door

26 Drifting Clouds

26 Two figures

27 The Beggar

28 Jerusalem Drowns in the Rain

29 Franciscan Belfry

31 Autumn Leaves

33 Domes of Khasqi Sultan

34 Biography

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Dr. Ali Qleibo

“…AnDTHe HeART oFJeRuSALeMSTiLL BeATS.”

Oil Paintings

The Book and the Art Show“….and the Heart of Jerusalem Still Beats.”

The painting exhibition is part of the project EJE CH 015 09“Empowering Dar El Tifl Al Arabi Museum and Dar Isaaf Al Nashashibi for Culture,

Arts and Literature” funded by the Italian Government through the Palestinian Municipalities

Support Program (PMSP) and cofounded by the Provincia di Pisa-Istituzione Centro Nord Sud.

»ومـــــــــــا زال للقـــدسقلـــــــــب ينبــــــــــض...«

Consulate General of Italy Jerusalem

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The Book and the Art Show“….and the Heart of Jerusalem Still Beats.”The painting exhibition is part of the project EJE CH 015 09“Empowering Dar El Tifl Al Arabi Museum and Dar Isaaf Al Nashashibi for Culture, Arts and Literature” funded by the Italian Government through the Palestinian Municipalities Support Program (PMSP) and cofounded by the Provincia di Pisa-Istituzione Centro Nord Sud.

Text, layout and designDr. Ali Qleiboaqleibo@yahoo.com

Produced and PrintedEmeresian Est.www.emerezian.com

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The Book and the Art Show“….and the Heart of Jerusalem Still Beats.”

The painting exhibition is part of the project EJE CH 015 09“Empowering Dar El Tifl Al Arabi Museum and Dar Isaaf Al Nashashibi for Culture,

Arts and Literature” funded by the Italian Government through the Palestinian Municipalities

Support Program (PMSP) and cofounded by the Provincia di Pisa-Istituzione Centro Nord Sud.

“…AnD THe HeART oF

JeRuSALeMSTiLL BeATS.”

»ومـــــــــــا زال للقـــدس قلـــــــــب ينبــــــــــض...«

Dr. Ali Qleibo

Oil Paintings

Consulate General of Italy Jerusalem