Ali Omar Ermes (Libyan, b. 1945)

Noon, The Sharp And Competent is a powerful example of Ali Omar Ermes' work, focussing as it does on a single letterform. The composition is balanced by his placement of short excerpts from literary or poetic texts in smaller script concerning social and cultural issues. The composition is begun with the large central letter and the rest is built up to complement its formal appearance and to highlight its symbolic significance. The additional text references art, literature, and historical periods or the penmanship of regions such as the North African Maghribi script or the Thuluth Diwani scripts of Ottoman Turkey. He also derives inspiration from Andalusia, North Africa, Middle Eastern and other areas of Islamic culture.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, Ali Omar's letters are legible, yet his art is very different from calligraphy. While traditional calligraphers work according to specific dictated demands and standards, Ali Omar paints his letters with free-flowing brushstrokes and an innovative flair that sets his work apart from traditional calligraphy as well as the work of his contemporaries.