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The modernBahraini art movement emerged in the 1950s, with the establishment of anArts and Literature club in 1952. The club served as anumbrella group for professional and amateur artists, musicians, and actors in Bahrain.[1] In 1956, the firstart exhibition was held in the Bahraini capital,Manama.Expressionism andsurrealism, as well ascalligraphic art are the popular forms of art in the country.Abstract expressionism has gained popularity in recent decades.[1]
In 1983, the Bahrain Arts Society was founded when a group of 34 Bahraini artists approached the government and asked for a non-profit cultural organisation to be established.[2] The society hosted multiple exhibitions in and out of the country and offered training in the arts of sculpting,pottery,Arabic calligraphy, painting, interior designing and photography.[1] Most Bahraini artists in the 20th century were trained inCairo orBaghdad, the cultural art capitals of theArab world.[1] It was in this period thatexpressionism andsurrealism became widely popular in the country. Arabic calligraphy grew in popularity as theBahraini government was an active patron inIslamic art, culminating in the establishment of an Islamic museum,Beit Al Quran.[1] TheBahrain National Museum houses a permanentcontemporary art exhibition.[3]
Traditional Bahraini architecture is similar to that of its neighbours. Though the centuries-old forts in Bahrain resemble the same architectural style as in other forts in thePersian Gulf region, thedomestic architecture in the country is unique in the region.[4] Thewind tower, which generates natural ventilation in a house, is a common sight on old buildings, particularly in the old districts of Manama andMuharraq.[5]
A traditional Bahraini house was made up of a series ofpavilions around a courtyard. Traditionally, houses had two courtyards (though sometimes only one); one would host the reception of men and the other would be for private living use. The house's rooms were organised in terms of seasonal migration, with the important pavilions for living and hosting receptions having a counterpart on the roof to capture summer breezes and redirect it into the pavilion.[6] The lower rooms of the house would have thick walls, allowing them to be utilised during the cool winter months. To combat the intense heat during the summer months, a framework ofcoral rubble piers with spaces filled with large panels of coral rocks were erected. The light-weight and porous coral is lined with a coat oflime andgypsum, and this causes warm air to be trapped in the spaces during the day.[6] Hundreds of buildings with this feature were built in Bahrain but virtually none currently function, with most not being repaired or serviced in several decades. A disadvantage of the coral used is that its core is made fromclay, as amortar, and dissolves easily thus causing cracks to develop in the walls during rainy weather, compromising the structure's stability and requiring yearly maintenance.[7]
Following independence and the oil boom of the 1970s, Western-style office buildings were built in the financial districts ofManama, particularly in theDiplomatic Area.[8] Buildings with fusions of tradition and modernism, such as theAl Zamil Tower, have won awards such as theAga Khan Award for Architecture in 2007.[9]
Throughout the country's history, crafts such as potteries, sculptures and metalembroideries, particularly from copper or gold, were widely produced alongside traditionally made baskets woven from palm tree leaves in the villages outside Manama, notablyKarbabad andJasra.[10]
Pottery estimated to date from theDilmun civilisation era in the fifth and fourth millennium BC were discovered in northern Bahrain, particularly but not exclusively in theBahrain fort excavation site and in theDilmun Burial Mounds. Though Mesopotamian, later potteries discovered indicated that they were created in Bahrain.[11] Comparative analysis suggests that the locally made pottery was produced at a centralized location using materials derived from a single source.[12] The earliest potteries on the island date to 2300 BC.[13]
Potteries are still made traditionally in, particularly [A'ali] village which utilises the mud from the nearby flats inRiffa. The pottery is made using a mixture of mud and water that is placed on a revolving wheel operated by an artisan, where in the artisan would use his hands to modify the shape of the pottery as needed. After the needed shape was obtained, the pottery is left outside to dry and harden.[14]
The country hosts a number ofart galleries:[15]
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This is a list of notable veteran Bahraini artists of the 20th century:[1]
Other notable Bahraini artists with international recognition are:[16]
