A.R. Nagori (Pakistani, 1938-2011) Love, Profane and Sacred

A.R. Nagori (Pakistani, 1938-2011)
Love, Profane and Sacred
signed 'Nagori 86' lower centre
oil on board, framed
23.8 x 34.2cm (9 3/8 x 13 7/16in).
Provenance
Property from a private collection, Pakistan.
Acquired from Mohammad Fayaz's collection in 2010.

There is a label on the reverse with the title, (Love, Profane and Sacred) and the description. The description reads (Calm brother and sister, engulfed in scorching environment, religious 2 and ceremony; while beast and violence; shri.. near monument.

Nagori is perhaps Pakistan's first socio-political painter however his works dealt with issues that transcended the borders of Pakistan. He not only painted works on atrocities including the 1988 Ojhri blast and the poverty, tyranny, and persecution under the repressive regime of General Ziaul Huq, but also on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The present lot dating from 1986 is likely part of the series that he painted to illustrate this tragedy. The conflict had been ongoing for decades and in 1986 tensions were particularly high between the Israel and Palestinian territories. There were numerous reasons for the conflict including the historical claims to the land, the Zionist movement, the British Mandate after WWI, the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, and the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

This painting in the present lot contains all the characteristics that Nagori's works have come to be known for. The canvas has been cut vertically and horizontally into four distinct parts and highlights the plight of females and children. In the largest quadrant, two faceless and forlorn children seem to be gazing into the distance, supporting each other as the older sibling in pink appears to have injured her arm. In the quadrant immediately adjacent to them, two women, one perhaps dead, appear to be bowing, perhaps in the direction of Mecca. In the quadrant above them, a four-legged animal is seen, perhaps a fox, against the backdrop of a sun and mosque. Nagori is well known for his symbolism and the sun and mosque may represent the divine, whilst the fox represents the human. Nagori may have been trying to illustrate that 'God' is always watching.

The black in the black and yellow flag in the upper right quadrant may suggest mourning, death or evil, whilst the yellow represents caution, warning, or betrayal. It is a visually arresting work and one that asks more questions than it answers. Unsurprisingly, it was painted in the same year that Nagori's most important exhibition, the 'Anti-dictatorship' exhibition took place at Indus Gallery, Karachi, where he exposed 62 different national events that shook the conscience of the nation.