Miniatures on display

LAHORE: With its latest art show, Art in Miniature, curated by Professor Bashir Ahmad from NCA, Royaat heralds a new era of miniature painting. The painters, many trained in the classical rigor of miniatures, masterfully employ the fine, miniature technique to explore new themes, concepts, as well as forms.

While miniature techniques are used by painters all over Pakistan, Lahore has always been a centre of this beautiful school of painting with NCA providing a rigorous training in the classical technique but one taken in exciting new conceptual directions. The latest show by Royaat Gallery, Miniature in Art, successfully captures the evolution of this rich cultural tradition.

Amna Hashmi's playful work draws on inspiration ranging from classical motifs, anime, to video games and suggests dynamic movement, a dimension often obscured in miniature art.

Shireen Bano Rizvi takes the precision and fine gradations of the miniature technique but employs them to construct beautiful 3-D abstract geometric planes, exploring the multi-dimensionality of miniatures. Shabana Nazir similarly employs both abstract organic and geometric forms that contrast with the detailed classical figures in the back. Again the use of the classical with the abstract creates multiple planes within the painting.

The show invokes defining social and political issues as well. Sobia Ahmed's canvas divided horizontally: one depicting the emblem of the state while the other, portraying heads on spikes with ominous crows circling above. There are also domestic scenes, such as, Saima Ali's depiction of chairs foregrounded against nature, which call into question the division between the public and private spheres.

The delicate work of Azmat Humayun in pastel hues with floral motifs draws us in and highlights the ability of miniature art to present a lovely, alternate reality. Her prominent representations of flora and fauna are magnified, forcing us to confront the classical patterns, which often form the background in classical miniature.

Mutaib Shah draws on a similar theme, but in a striking new conceptual form. Particularly striking is his painting of two white doves, which are embedded in the root of a tree, suggesting the interconnectivity of nature. Connections are also suggested in Farrah Mahmood's huntsman, who seems to be navigating a larger realm. Finally Kausar Iqbal and Mufakhar Subhani illustrate fine animal forms, bringing to the fore the symbiosis and interactions within nature.

The show also features the more classic miniature paintings of Shabana Nasir who paints lilting figures of dancers, which are captured in primary colours in mid-pose. Shamsuddin Tanwri also depicts classically rendered figures but in a more provocative pose, also introducing more abstract images in the background.