Jamil Naqsh

Acquired from the Indus Gallery in Karachi in the 1990s

Pasadena, California, Pacific Asia Museum, A Selection of Contemporary Paintings from Pakistan, 1994

M.N. Sirhandi, A Selection of Contemporary Paintings from Pakistan, by D. Kamansky, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California, illustration p. 91 

A faint yellowness to paper in lower center and lower right corner is also visible in the catalogue illustration. This work appears to be on a handmade paper and thus the undulation and the creases are inherent. This work is in very good condition, as viewed. It has not been inspected outside its frame.
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In the early 1950s, Jamil Nasqh trained as a miniaturist at the National College of Arts, Lahore, and devoted much of his time to in-depth study with Ustaad Haji Sharif, one of the last of the old-guard miniature painters in Pakistan. While Naqsh's style and technique is decidedly modern, his choice of subject matter often echoes the tender, genteel compositions of miniature painting. From the 1970s the Karachi-born artist became prolific and he had a tendency toward exploring the diverse mysteries of life and nature, a source of constant contemplation and analysis throughout his life. His time in Lahore led him to many known artists becoming inspirations and companions of his; studies of Naqsh’s artistic evolution indicate the strong influences of Shakir Ali and Ali Imam. This work painted by Naqsh after Ali Imam’s open heart surgery is a sensitive homage to his fellow artist. Imam is considered to be the doyen of the Pakistani modern art movement.  An important art educationist, Imam was the architect of the modern curriculum of The Central Institute of Arts and Crafts. In the 1970s he founded the Indus Gallery in Karachi which remains, to date, one of the longest running galleries in Pakistan.