Aula Al Ayoubi, Syrian Artist
Born 1973 in Damascus, Syria
Lives and works in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Aula Al Ayoubi holds a Bachelor of Science from the Department of Mathematics, as well as a diploma in Educational Sciences from the Damascus University. She lives and works in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.
Aula Al Ayoubi is a seasoned artist with many awards and accolades to her credit. She has come a long way since her first foray in 2000 and continues to create quite a flurry of interest amongst connoisseurs at art auctions. Al Ayoubi has widely exhibited in Syria and Kuwait and her work featured in private collections and now also in the USA.
Aula Al Ayoubi’s women are enigmatic, glamorous and theatrical. With natural ease, the artist captures iconic women from the Middle East on her canvas, be it Faten Hamama, Umm Kulthoum, Soad Hosny or Fairuz. Her larger-than-life images and her attention to the minutest details make for a wonderful viewing experience. Al Ayoubi’s brushstrokes are dynamic, compositions impeccable and colors brilliant. Her unique portraitures are instantly recognizable. Admirably rich in nuance and details, Al Ayoubi paints with captivating grace. She displays remarkable versatility in her work as she works meticulously to unfold the many cultural icons in her colorful renderings. Her paintings proceed through a number of drafts – conceptualizing, texturing, glazing and layering.
Most of her work is an emotional response to the myriad women who have contributed immensely in varied fields. Lavishly textured, the women on Al Ayoubi’s canvases have a sensuous and languid quality. Her works are colorful in fiery hues and yet they often surprise you with a dash of muted gold here and there. “Women are more expressive than men,” she admits candidly and then goes on to explain her creative process. The artist uses collage technique and mixed media to bring layered depth to her work as well as spilled paints to bring out the texture of the skin. She uses oils and acrylics and incorporates newsprint, and gold paint with thick and flat brush strokes. “Collage lends a feminine touch when combined with intricate orientations,” she explains. Al Ayoubi’s penchant for layering is quite evident. She juxtaposes handprints, geometrical shapes like circles, triangles and squares. “The shapes help me add more emotions to my works,” she adds.
About her last series of paintings, Al Ayoub says: “These figures are not merely women with fruit, but heavenly houris. They represent my city of Damascus, with its topography of streets, rivers, houses, bridges, flowers and trees inscribed on their bodies and faces.
The pomegranate traditionally represents heavenly rewards, as well as fertility. Just as every individual aril of the pomegranate fruit is its own pleasure, each of these figures with their various colors and markings offers the viewer their own dreams and rewards.”
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