Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Chessmen

Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985)
Chessmen
signed and dated in Urdu 'Shemza 1965' upper left
oil on canvas, framed
70 x 34.2cm (27 9/16 x 13 7/16in).
Provenance
Property from a private collection, Pakistan.
Acquired from the Collection of Mr Hamid Khawaja in 2019, who acquired the work in London in 1980.

From 14th January – 16th April 2023, Wolverhampton Art Gallery in the UK held an exhibition titled, Shemza Digital: Across Generations. The show celebrated and drew parallels between the abstract works of Anwar Jalal Shemza and the contemporary digital practise of his granddaughter, Aphra Shemza. Featured in this exhibition were works from both the Estate of Anwar Jalal Shemza and those from the Wolverhampton Collection. The breath of works displayed were produced in the UK and spanned from 1957-1969 and can be described as some of the most important works from his oeuvre. One of the works featured in the exhibition came from his renowned Chessmen series, and was a gouache and watercolour on paper, dating from 1968. The oil on canvas in the present lot is also part of the abovementioned series, executed in 1965.

Anwar Jalal Shemza was born in Shimla, India to Kashmiri and Punjabi parents. Following the creation of Pakistan in 1947, a young Shemza relocated to Lahore, Pakistan, where he continued his education at the Mayo School of Art, before relocating again, this time to the UK in 1956, where he studied at the Slade School of Art. His constant relocations were traumatic, not least because he lost numerous family members during Partition, but also because despite having been a renowned artist in Pakistan, his works were not well received in the UK. He had to reinvent himself as an artist, and the works produced in the aftermath of his reinvention would continually explore the themes of identity, migration, and cultural hybridity.

The present lot was created when Shemza taught art at the Ounsdale (Wombourne) High School (1963-1979) in Wolverhampton. It was during this period that he developed his signature style, which blended elements of Islamic calligraphy with abstract modernist forms. This can be seen in the series titled 'Square Compositions,' 'Circles and Semicircles,' and 'Meem.' What makes the Chessmen series particularly important is that it marks a significant departure from these earlier works, which were mostly abstract and focussed on geometry and calligraphy. Instead, this series introduced figurative elements, specifically chess pieces, into Shemza's work, creating a unique blend of abstraction and representation. This series was an exploration of the themes of power, hierarchy, and identity, and he used the pieces to comment on themes in relation to colonialism and imperialism. Having had his works and Islamic art rejected upon arrival to the UK in the mid-1950s, perhaps as part of the last wave of 'colonial' artists, he was in an existential crisis. This work created 9 years after his arrival, was his way to reconcile his dual cultural heritage, Pakistani and British.

The painting depicts three chess pieces of various heights and sizes. The frontal viewpoint emphasizes the two dimensionality of the canvas, accented by the horizontal line that cuts across the lower fifth of the work. The horizontal line is a recurring motif is Shemza's work, and is often interpreted as a symbol of connection and unity. It was his way to create a sense of order and structure, whilst simultaneously paying homage to Islamic principles of art.
Normally, works from this series feature multiple chessmen in each composition, and are wider, however this work, is similar to his Untitled (Red and Yellow Ochre Composition) and only has three pieces, the King, the Queen and the Bishop which dominate the canvas. This grouping of three could also be seen to be a family, as this was the title Shemza would give to the subsequent works he produced in the 1980s that formed part of the same series.

The dark colours used in the painting are intentional. They convey a sense of depth and contrast that emphasises the white geometric shapes and forms of the chess pieces. The use of black, dark brown and maroon also evoke the traditional colours of the chessboard, which are often made of dark wood. Moreover, the dark colours also create a sense of tension and drama that reflected the intellectual and strategic nature of the game, an allusion perhaps to the unresolvable question of identity.

To see a silkscreen from the same series sold in these rooms see Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 23rd April 2013, lot 427.