The soul of Hijaz Painting

Salman’s artistic talent fuelled his passion to become an architect, which he studied at King Faisal University, College of Architecture and Planning in Saudi Arabia, later gaining an MFA in interior design at Syracuse University, NY in the USA. Although drawing and painting for leisure had to be put on hold, he used this as a means of communication in his career as an architect and interior designer. Art was always going to be his future career and knowing that the best source of learning is the real world, he wanted to learn realism just as the old masters had learned. Salman therefore undertook academic training in Florence at Florence Art Studio and Rome at Washington University. Following this he taught drawing in several art ateliers and institutes in Saudi Arabia and exhibited in many art galleries both locally and internationally. After being a successful architect and interior designer for nearly 25 years, and having spent a lifetime traveling, and passionately studying art and architecture all over the world, he had the dream of teaching drawing and painting.
 His appreciation of modern art that ranges from impressionism to abstract expressionism is clear in his work. Salman’s obsession with philosophy motivates him to select his subjects very carefully and he insists that there should be meaning in the composition of his work. His study into aesthetics and art criticism has opened his mind and eyes to the neglected concept of forms; observing beauty in those forms and shapes as never before. The presence of light in his works speaks loudly, reducing the need for ‘unnecessary’ details. His way of looking at reality results in works appearing incomplete at first glance, but if consideration is given to those incomplete works, be it art, music, buildings, it can influence the mind and invite one to question, explore more deeply and seek answers. For Salman, nothing is ever finished and that’s why he never considers an artwork to be complete, because to continue to go deeper and deeper to reach the reality is not possible….for him the work is done when it’s abandoned.