Ali Imam

Acquired from the de-accession of the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, Bristol in 2009

The edges of the board are worn, particularly in places where it has been nailed to the wood backing and there is associated paint loss. There are white specks of paint across the surface, possibly inherent, as well as scattered accretions present throughout, as viewed.
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Focusing more on Pakistan and his national pride of the country, Syed Ali Imam painted this beautiful work just before departing London for his final settlement in Karachi.  This painting features a mosque, rendered in a stylish cubist manner, with three golden domes and an angular staircase leading up to the main building.

“I used to paint landscapes in Lahore and streets scenes of the interior of the city. I painted Pindi, and Muree.… Eventually it was the Multan and Bahawalpur houses that brought me into modern wavelength. Where the nature of things was modern you copied them and they became Cubist houses and modern painting” (M. Husain, Ali Imam: Man of the Arts, Foundation for Museum of Modern Art, Karachi, 2003, p. 39).

In addition to the main Five Pillars of Islam, one hadith, or tradition, outlines that the mosque should be a place in simple style to aid the focus of religious and spiritual practice. Within these practices, a weekly attendance takes the mosque beyond just a place of worship; it cements itself as the central meeting point and community centre of like-minded individuals. Whilst abroad, Imam really struggled with his displacement and it follows suit that this type of reminiscent and introspective work was necessary for him.