#18 - I have never doubted my quality of being in proximity to the Creator because I have been filled with wonder by the universe., Yelimane Fall

The artist is Yelimane Fall, born 1945 in Saint-Louis, Senegal. The title of this work is “Number 18 – I have never doubted my quality of being in proximity to the Creator because I have been filled with wonder by the universe,” created in 2003 and 2004, part of a series of 29 paintings, one for each line of the lyrical poem, Jawartu by Sheikh Bama. The work is made with paint on canvas.

#18 - I have never doubted my quality of being in proximity to the Creator because I have been filled with wonder by the universe, is an approximately four-foot-tall, two-and-a-half-foot-wide painting on an unstretched canvas hanging on a wooden rod. The canvas is painted with colorful layers of calligraphic Arabic text from a poem, as translated in the title. Large flourishes of characters are painted on a black background in yellow, red, green, sky blue and dark blue, outlined in white. On top of and amongst the larger characters, are smaller, brief red notations, also outlined in white. Over the top of the largest characters, the line of the poem is repeated, in black over the yellow character, and in white over a green and a red character. The effect is layers of harmony and percussion in rhythm and song.

Although Sufi visionary Sheikh Amadou Bamba died in 1927, his messages of peace, education, and community continue to inspire contemporary African artists. Between 2003 and 2004, Fall painted a series of works based on verses from Sheikh Bamba’s renowned poem “Jawartu.” Fall has become a global activist for the disenfranchised and impoverished youth of urban Senegal. To empower younger generations, he offers classes in Arabic calligraphy—a marginalized and endangered practice in Africa—and encourages students to embrace Muslim teachings of patience, non-violence, and human dignity.

The title of this painting is a translation of its Arabic calligraphy inscription: “I have never doubted my quality of being in proximity to the Creator because I have been filled with wonder by the universe.” This is a line from the poem “Jawartu” by the Sufi religious leader Sheikh Amadou Bamba. Artist Yelimane Fall painted the words in meditative layers of different calligraphic traditions. Tap the Web icon to read Fall’s biography and more about his work with young people in Senegal. You have now returned to the exhibition The Object Speaks. After visiting the other exhibitions at the Spencer Museum of Art, how have your ideas changed about how objects speak to you? Feel free to continue to explore the Museum, including our temporary exhibitions in the balconies and on the 3rd floor.