Ma Provence

Imagine an image of a lithe Nubian woman, who peers into the soul with the dignity of a queen and is set against a setting of no time or place, just an embrace of brilliant color highlighted by thick, impasto waves, pointillistic dapplings of three D paint, gold leaf flirtations and the whimsy of bamboo cotton balls; a threshold of entry into the work of Isabelle Noor. A French Artist painter, now resident in the UAE, with a promising career as an interior designer, she chose, instead, a life of pure creative expression. Much of her inspirations for her stunning mixed media work stems from her immersion in the cultural richness of non-Eastern locales. Much like Gericault and, especially, Gerome, she finds the heroic in the simple, the exquisite in the ordinary. In one image of two young girls wearing. abayas , she creates glittering and gilded facial veils, evoking a range of possible interpretations – they are content, they are young and radiant, there is burning need and a vitality behind garments that shield. In commenting on the distinctiveness of her contributions, one recognized art collector observed: “This is where is the great features of her work stem from --she walks comfortably and with ease from one style to another, ranging from realism to abstract allegory symbolism, naturalism to expressionism. It is simplicity with grandiose ornamentation, where no detail is overlooked. It is especially resonant in the vividness of colors that can be readily identified. Isabelle Noor is not an emerging artist, she passed that stage long ago. She is a consummate professional who devotes all of her time to the practice of her art, the dissemination of her work and her contacts with the arts community that so often inspires.” Currently, she completed the final stages of a major exhibit, three years in the making: “Smile of a Woman around the World.” This loving tribute to the beauty of women of all nationalities is a message of compassion, hope and friendship between nations. When asked as to her inspiration, Isabelle says without pause, “I am old school in that my paintings resist fashions or trends, they are about uplifting the human spirit and infusing beauty – as perceived throughout the world – into the lives of those who share my work and beyond.” The American poet, Wallace Stevens, once observed: “In an age of disbelief, the arts in general are our only compensation for what has been lost.” In the depth of her creative passion, in the wellspring of a creativity that transcends artistic media as it soars beyond cultural bounds, Isabelle Noor stands as a unique talent as well as a profound celebrant of the resilient heart and the soaring human spirit.