Abdul Qader Al-Rais (Emirati, b. 1951)

This is a rare early abstract work by Abdul Qader Al-Rais. The influence of the Arabic letterform is clearly there, but is implied rather than explicitly shown as in his later works. The colour scheme is notably different from that in his more recent abstract works, which have much warmer hues.

Abdul Qader Al-Rais is the best-known artist from the UAE. Simultaneously he paints in two very different styles. For his landscape and architectural scenes, his style is photorealistic, very keenly observed, with a delicate beige palette set off by flashes of blue. He also paints abstract works, often involving the Arabic letterform. What unites both is his signature use of small floating squares, which appear even in the most realistic of his paintings.