A Journey Through Cultural Richness
Jalal Quinn‘s artistic journey is deeply intertwined with her upbringing in Washington, D.C., where she was surrounded by a plethora of cultural institutions and diverse global influences. Her father, a Foreign Correspondent for the Associated Press, and her mother, a Remedial Teacher, nurtured her early exposure to the arts. Frequent visits to the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Museums, particularly the Freer Gallery, the Phillips Collection, and the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, significantly shaped her artistic sensibilities. These experiences were enriched by meetings with prominent figures such as Walter Hopps, Vincent Van Gogh II, Kenneth Noland, and Ad Reinhardt.
Quinn’s formative years were marked by an immersion in the international atmosphere of Washington, D.C., complemented by her family’s travels to Europe in 1955. Visiting museums in Italy and the Louvre in Paris broadened her understanding of art beyond American borders. Her exposure to the extended space concept in Japanese and Chinese folding screens inspired her to explore painting in series, a method that allowed her to develop and progress visual ideas over time. The influence of Qi Baishi’s work in China left a profound impact, blending traditional techniques with a contemporary approach.
Quinn’s international experiences expanded further during her time in China, where she lived for over a decade, teaching English and Contemporary Western Painting from 1990 to 2004. This period, though briefly interrupted between 1997 and 2000, was marked by significant achievements. In 1994, she was honored with the Friendship Award, the highest national award a foreigner can receive in China, recognizing her contributions in both art and education. That same year, she also received the Liaoning Provincial Award and the Shenyang City Award, further solidifying her influence in the region.
Her unique ability to blend Chinese and Western artistic styles was particularly celebrated in 1997, when she participated in an exhibition in Shenyang titled “Welcome Hong Kong Back to the Mainland.” Quinn was awarded a Special Award by the judges, who praised her for her innovative fusion of artistic traditions, noting that they had never seen a Westerner combine these styles so effectively.
Private art lessons from a British teacher, who emphasized classical European basics in drawing and painting, further solidified her foundation. These lessons commenced when she was just nine years old, embedding a rigorous discipline and appreciation for meticulous craft in her artistic practice. This rich tapestry of cultural exposure and rigorous training set the stage for Quinn’s unique artistic voice to emerge.
