The convergent relationship between the various forms of art was a topic of discussion at the Sharjah International Film Festival.The panel was moderated by Syrian poet Abdul Razzaq Derbas, who said that while all kinds of scientific fields are marked by specialization, when it comes to the literary and an artistic world, the various fields coming together is what elevates standards.Egyptian artist and novelist Nasser Iraq said that an author or poet who is good at what he does is not capable of creating new expressions and new ideas without being moved by good music and a good painting.He gave examples of famous Arabic songs that are based on classical poetry that are full of imagery. “I think the person who is heavily involved in the arts will be able to see how intertwined the various art forms are,” said Iraq adding that Egyptian Nobel-prize winner Novelist Naguib Mahfouz and Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez were capable or writing texts that “emit a scent of music”.
“A painter or sculptor too can not produce great works of art if they do not read. The great Egyptian musician Mohammed Abdul Wahab was a close friend and student of prominent Egyptian poet Ahmad Shawki. “He created great music because he was taught culture by someone like Shawki,” said Iraq, adding that the reason behind the deterioration the arts is the fact that artist is not knowledgeable about all the different kinds of art.
Speaking about the conversions of these worlds, Emirati Novelist Fathiya Al Nimer speaking about her background in philosophy and how she changed after entering the literary world.“Before going into the literary world, I felt that I was different from people around me, that I was disconnected but then when I started writing I found ways of communicating with the world,” explained Al Nimer.
She said that whether she likes it or not, as a writer she follows other forms of art like music, photography or cinema. “We all have one goal, we all want to paint a picture of the world, whether it is the world around us or the inner world of emotions. The artist uses brushes and colors, the musician uses rhythm, the photographer uses his camera, the filmmaker uses light and I use words and expressions. If these words and expressions are distant from other forms of art then they will lack life and will hence not have an effect on readers,” she said.Also on the panel was Lina Hawyan Al Hassan, Syrian journalist and novelist said that she herself came from a painting and graphics background, a field that she was passionate about. She said that she too came from a philosophy background and that one of the subjects that she enjoyed was the study of aesthetics.“Books emit color as much as paintings speak volumes,” she said adding that arts must come together for great works to be produced.