This group rejected common conventions in Sudanese modern painting of the 1960s and strived to find "an aesthetic and critical language that would emphasise the notions of pleasure and knowledge in order to permanently abolish differences and boundaries".
The Khartoum School's transcultural blending presented a new sense of Sudanese identity, expressed in abstract forms, earthy colors and Arabic calligraphy.
[4] Along Ibrahim El-Salahi, Ishaq is considered to be one of Africa's most prominent painters, and her focus on women's lives has been called a challenge to the traditional male perspective in Sudanese art.
First published in Arabic as Al-Bayan al-Kristali, the document presented an artistic vision that attempted to work beyond the Sudanese-Islamic framework of the Khartoum School.
Crystalist paintings often contain distorted human faces, trapped within clear cubes or spheres, and, as stated in their manifesto, "oppose[d] the trend which calls for skill and craftsmanship as a measure of good work."
[10] In October 2022, Serpentine South Gallery in London opened a retrospective exhibition covering works since her early years until the present.