LES MONTS SARAWAT PEINTS PAR VSEVOLOD BAZHENOV

 

VSEVOLOD BAZHENOV (1909-1986)
Monts Sarawat (3 666m)
Jordanie - Arabie saoudite - Yémen

In Arabian coast, Huile sur toile, 1962

Les montagnes
Les monts Sarawat, Al-Sarawat ou encore Sarat constituent une chaîne de montagnes parallèle à la mer Rouge et représentent une des plus importantes caractéristiques géographiques de la péninsule arabique.
La chaîne s'amorce au nord à la frontière jordanienne et se poursuit au sud jusqu'au golfe d'Aden. La moitié nord de la chaîne, connue sous le nom de Sarat al-Hejaz, s'élève rarement au-dessus de 2 100 mètres, tandis que les sections centrales et méridionales (Sarat 'Asir et Sarat al-Yemen) peuvent dépasser 3 000 mètres d'altitude, comme au Yémen, les Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb et Jabal al Qullah.
Le versant occidental se traduit par des pentes très abruptes près de la mer Rouge tandis que la face orientale de la chaîne présente des pentes plus douces coupées de cours d'eau (oueds) et propices à l'agriculture, plus particulièrement dans les extrémités méridionales des monts Sarawat, plus exposées aux moussons de l'océan Indien.
Cette chaîne est la plus vaste de la péninsule d'Arabie, avec son point culminant situé au Yémen, le Jabal an Nabi Shu'aybe. Ces montagnes sont principalement rocheuses et peuvent abriter quelquefois des zones à couverture végétale, à la différence de l'Atlas marocain, plus sec.
Géologiquement les monts Sarawat font partie du plateau arabique et sont surtout recouverts de roches volcaniques. La manifestation géologique de ces roches volcaniques est marquée par la présence de grands champs de lave, nommés harrat (parmi eux le Harrat Khaybar, près de Médine, ou le Harra es Sawad, au Yémen, dans le gouvernorat d'Abyan). Certains sommets sont de formation assez récente et d'aspect découpé, mais d'autres ont été usés par l'érosion.

Le peintre
Vsevolod Andreevich Bajenov (Все́волод Андре́евич Баже́нов) était un peintre soviétique et russe qui vivait et travaillait à St Petersbourg. Il était membre de la branche de Léningrad de l'Union des artistes de la Fédération de Russie et considéré comme l'un des représentants de l'école de peinture de Léningrad, la plus célèbre pour ses peintures de paysages.
En 1962, Bajenov entreprit un voyage de travail à bord du navire « Eugene Nikishin », naviguant de Leningrad à Vladivostok et autour de l'Europe et de l'Asie avec des escales dans les ports de Gibraltar, Suez, Singapour et le Vietnam. Au cours du voyage, qui l'a conduit à travers onze mers et océans et qui a duré plus de trois mois, Bajenov a créé près de deux cents croquis, peintures et dessins. Ses croquis de la nature et ses impressions directes du voyage ont conduit à des œuvres plus grandes, achevées plus tard dans son atelier d'art de Leningrad. Après son retour en 1963, environ 120 œuvres de cette série de croquis et de peintures furent d'abord exposées à Leningrad, puis dans d'autres villes.
Ses expositions personnelles ont eu lieu à Leningrad (1963, 1982) et à Saint-Pétersbourg (1994, 2009). Ses peintures se trouvent au Musée d'État russe, dans des musées d'art et dans des collections privées en Russie, au Japon, en France, en Angleterre, aux États-Unis, en Chine et dans le monde entier. 

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2024 - Gravir les montagnes en peinture
Un blog de Francis Rousseau 
 

JABAL AN-NOUR PAINTED BY NICHOLAS ROERICH

 

NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
Jabal an-Nour (640m -2,100ft)
Saudi Arabia

In Mohammed on Mount Hira. 1925.Tempera on canvas. 73.6 x 117 cm, Roerich Museum, NYC

The mountain
Jabal an-Nour ( 640 m -2,100 ft) meaning Mountain of the Light or Hill of the Illumination, is a mountain near Mecca in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia. The mountain houses the grotto or cave of Hira' which holds sacred significance for Muslims throughout the world, as the Islamic prophet Muhammad is said to have spent time in this cave meditating, and it is widely believed that it was here that he received his first revelation, which consisted of the first five ayats of Surah Al-Alaq from the angel Jibra'il (as is pronounced in certain Quran recitation schools and some Arab tribes; also known as Gabriel.  It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Makkah. Nonetheless one to two hours are needed to make the strenuous hike to the cave. There are 1750 steps to the top which, even for a fit individual, can take anywhere between half an hour and one-and-a-half hours. One physical feature that differentiates Jabal al-Nour from other mountains and hills is its unusual summit, which makes it look as if two mountains are on top of each other. The top of this mountain in the mountainous desert is one of the loneliest of places. However, the cave within, which faces the direction of the Kaaba, is even more isolated. While standing in the courtyard back then, people could only look over the surrounding rocks. Nowadays, people can see the surrounding rocks as well as buildings that are hundreds of meters below and hundreds of meters to many kilometers away. Hira is both without water or vegetation other than a few thorns. Hira is higher than Thabīr and is crowned by a steep and slippery peak, which Muhammad with some companions once climbed. Taking 1750 walking steps to reach, the cave itself is about 3.7 m (12 ft) in length and 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) in width. The cave is situated at a height of 270 m (890 ft).  During the season of Ḥajj ('Pilgrimage'), an estimated five thousand visitors climb to the cave daily to see the place where Muhammad is believed to have received the first revelation of the Quran on the Night of Power by the angel Jibreel. 

The painter
Nicholas Roerich known also as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh (Никола́й Константи́нович Ре́рих) is quite an important figure of mountain paintings in the early 20th century. He was a Russian painter, writer, archaeologist, theosophist, perceived by some in Russia as an enlightener, philosopher, and public figure. In his youth was he was quite influenced by a movement in Russian society around the occult and was interested in hypnosis and other spiritual practices. His paintings are said to have hypnotic expression. In

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2021 - Wandering Vertexes / Mountain paintings
By Francis Rousseau

JABAL SWADA PAINTED BY A. G. CARRICK / H.M KING CHARLES III

A. G. CARRICK / H.M KING CHARLES III former PRINCE OF WALES (bn.1948)

Jabal Sawda (c. 3,133 m - c. 10,279 ft)

Saudi Arabia 

In Overlooking Wadi Arkham, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, (Asir Moutains), 2000, 

Lithograph 53 × 59 cm- Belgravia Gallery.

The mountain 
Jabal Sawda  (c. 3,133 m - c. 10,279 ft) in Arabic: جَبَل ٱلسّوْدَة‎ , is a peak located in Saudi Arabia, the highest summit of the Asir mountains region and possibly the highest point in Saudi Arabia even if SRTM data indicates an elevation of 2,985 m (9,793 ft) for Jabal Sawda  with higher elevations elsewhere in the country. The village of Al Souda is located nearby. The town is a tourist center and has a cable car  to the top of the mountain.
The Asir Mountains in Arabic: جِـبَـال ٱلْـعَـسِـيْـر‎, is a mountainous region in southwestern Saudi Arabia running parallel to the Red Sea. It comprises areas in the 'Asir Region of Saudi Arabia, however it also generally includes areas near the Yemeni border. The mountains cover approximately 100,000 square kilometres (40,000 sq mi) and consists of mountains, plains, and valleys of the Arabian highlands. Sensu lato, they are part of the Sarawat Mountains, defining the latter as the mountain range which runs parallel to the Tihamah throughout the western portion of the Arabian Peninsula, particularly the western parts of Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

The painter
Arthur George Carrick is actually H.M. the King Charles III, former Prince of Wales.
When he began showing his paintings, he was too nervous to display his name so displayed under a pseudonym. Arthur George are two of his names (Charles Phillip Arthur George) and one of his titles is Earl of Carrick. King Charles III is an experienced watercolourist.  He has been painting for most of his adult life, during holidays or when his official diary allows. King Charles' interest began during the 1970s and 1980s when he was inspired by Robert Waddell, who had been his art master at Gordonstoun in Scotland. In time, King Charles met leading artists such as Edward Seago, with whom he discussed watercolour technique, and received further tuition from John Ward, Bryan Organ and Derek Hill.
The Royal Family has a tradition of drawing and painting, and King Charles’ work first came to public notice at a 1977 exhibition at Windsor Castle at which other Royal artists included Queen Victoria, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duke of York.
King Charles paints in the open air, often finishing a picture in one go and his favourite locations include The Queen's estate at Balmoral in Scotland and Sandringham House in Norfolk, England. Sometimes King Charles  III paints during his skiing holidays, and during overseas tours when possible.
The copyright of King Charles' watercolours belongs to A. G. Carrick Ltd, a trading arm of The King's Charities Foundation. Over the years King Charles III has agreed to exhibitions of his watercolours and of lithographs made from them, on the understanding that any income they generate goes to The Prince of Wales's Charitable Foundation.
Money from the sale of the lithographs also goes to the Foundation but the paintings themselves are never for sale.
In the 1980s King Charles III, then Prince of Wales,  began inviting young British artists to accompany him on official tours overseas and record their impressions, a tradition that has continued to this day.
Reference :
- The prince of Wales paintings  

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2019 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau