Jamil Naqsh (Pakistani, 1939-2019) Untitled (Woman & Dove)
Property from the Najmi Sura Collection
Jamil Naqsh (Pakistani, 1939-2019)
Untitled (Woman & Dove)
signed 'Jamil Naqsh' lower left
oil on canvas, framed
89 x 61cm (35 1/16 x 24in).
Provenance
Property from a private collection, England.
Acquired from the artist.
When it comes to Jamil Naqsh, two words jump to mind: universality and individualism. Although opposites, these ideas defined Naqsh works throughout his entire career. The latter term can be traced back to his childhood when he spent most of his time in solitary retreats. This sense of isolation further grew when in 1947, with the Partition of India and Naqsh, then only eight, left India with his brother to move to Pakistan. His teen years were marked by familial and economic difficulties which he considered important teaching experiences. Despite the economic hardship, he managed to enrol in the Mayo National College of Art, where he trained as a miniature's painter. His extremely independent thinking soon made such a confined reality difficult to accept and eventually, he left with no diploma. Naqsh was not looking for formal recognition, but rather he sought for discipline and a basic knowledge of art.
In Karachi, Naqsh took several art related jobs and absorbed as much art as possible from second-hand magazines, newspapers, articles, and books. He finally was hired in an advertising company studio. Like his formal education, this occupation was a means to an end, a way to sustain himself and to buy art supplies to pursue his true passion: painting. Naqsh had his first solo exhibition in 1962. Subsequently, his work was seen in different collective shows. Although he was often surrounded by other artists, Naqsh maintained a unique style that consisted of a combination of Indian traditions, and modernism techniques such as Cubism and Pointillism. Similarly, his independent way of seeing marked not only his art but also his life, and his perception of critiques and commentaries on his work. Naqsh first and foremost painted for himself, without letting galleries deadlines, criticism and discussions around his work influence his philosophy and his art. Painting seemed a way for him to retreat from solitude and alienation into the company of women. Female figures represent the core of Naqsh's artistic production.
The painting in this lot, Untitled (Woman & Dove) portrays a statuesque woman. Defined lines outline her long neck, voluptuous lips, and strong features. These are however softened by the colours of the paint. Different nuances of yellow ochre fades into white delicate spots of light. The overall result is the illusion of an aged drawing, an antique icon. In this way, Naqsh expressed his respect for all the artists from the past; Renaissance masters, and their oeuvre. Those features, individually strong, suddenly come together in an ethereal, almost angelic presence, further highlighted by the dove that occupies the lower centre of the painting.
Another hallmark of Naqsh's artistic production, the bird almost blends in the light and in the womans skin. Often used to add dynamism to his works, in this instance, the bird is as static as the figure behind. On a first glance the posture, the use of the white, and the choice of colours give this painting an aura of untouched serenity. However, this is quickly replaced by a sense of distant melancholy.
Two subjects appear in this painting however, they are both facing the viewer. No interaction occurs between the bird and the woman. Traditionally a symbol of love, the bird signifies that the woman is the object of affection. Nevertheless, she is alone. The painting therefore separation, from the loved ones, from an unreachable ideal of pure love and happiness. The sole connection is the pigeon, messenger and eternal confident. And with this, we find the universality of Naqsh's work, in the representation of a human condition. We all fall in love. We all suffer for it. We all aspire to have it and keep it. And yet, we all experience the loss, the distance, and separation from those we love. This is the genius of Naqsh, the ability to take regional traditions and European techniques, such as Cubism, and make them his, to produce works that speak to the universal audience of the humanity.
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Property from the Najmi Sura Collection
Jamil Naqsh (Pakistani, 1939-2019)
Untitled (Woman & Dove)
signed 'Jamil Naqsh' lower left
oil on canvas, framed
89 x 61cm (35 1/16 x 24in).
Provenance
Property from a private collection, England.
Acquired from the artist.
When it comes to Jamil Naqsh, two words jump to mind: universality and individualism. Although opposites, these ideas defined Naqsh works throughout his entire career. The latter term can be traced back to his childhood when he spent most of his time in solitary retreats. This sense of isolation further grew when in 1947, with the Partition of India and Naqsh, then only eight, left India with his brother to move to Pakistan. His teen years were marked by familial and economic difficulties which he considered important teaching experiences. Despite the economic hardship, he managed to enrol in the Mayo National College of Art, where he trained as a miniature's painter. His extremely independent thinking soon made such a confined reality difficult to accept and eventually, he left with no diploma. Naqsh was not looking for formal recognition, but rather he sought for discipline and a basic knowledge of art.
In Karachi, Naqsh took several art related jobs and absorbed as much art as possible from second-hand magazines, newspapers, articles, and books. He finally was hired in an advertising company studio. Like his formal education, this occupation was a means to an end, a way to sustain himself and to buy art supplies to pursue his true passion: painting. Naqsh had his first solo exhibition in 1962. Subsequently, his work was seen in different collective shows. Although he was often surrounded by other artists, Naqsh maintained a unique style that consisted of a combination of Indian traditions, and modernism techniques such as Cubism and Pointillism. Similarly, his independent way of seeing marked not only his art but also his life, and his perception of critiques and commentaries on his work. Naqsh first and foremost painted for himself, without letting galleries deadlines, criticism and discussions around his work influence his philosophy and his art. Painting seemed a way for him to retreat from solitude and alienation into the company of women. Female figures represent the core of Naqsh's artistic production.
The painting in this lot, Untitled (Woman & Dove) portrays a statuesque woman. Defined lines outline her long neck, voluptuous lips, and strong features. These are however softened by the colours of the paint. Different nuances of yellow ochre fades into white delicate spots of light. The overall result is the illusion of an aged drawing, an antique icon. In this way, Naqsh expressed his respect for all the artists from the past; Renaissance masters, and their oeuvre. Those features, individually strong, suddenly come together in an ethereal, almost angelic presence, further highlighted by the dove that occupies the lower centre of the painting.
Another hallmark of Naqsh's artistic production, the bird almost blends in the light and in the womans skin. Often used to add dynamism to his works, in this instance, the bird is as static as the figure behind. On a first glance the posture, the use of the white, and the choice of colours give this painting an aura of untouched serenity. However, this is quickly replaced by a sense of distant melancholy.
Two subjects appear in this painting however, they are both facing the viewer. No interaction occurs between the bird and the woman. Traditionally a symbol of love, the bird signifies that the woman is the object of affection. Nevertheless, she is alone. The painting therefore separation, from the loved ones, from an unreachable ideal of pure love and happiness. The sole connection is the pigeon, messenger and eternal confident. And with this, we find the universality of Naqsh's work, in the representation of a human condition. We all fall in love. We all suffer for it. We all aspire to have it and keep it. And yet, we all experience the loss, the distance, and separation from those we love. This is the genius of Naqsh, the ability to take regional traditions and European techniques, such as Cubism, and make them his, to produce works that speak to the universal audience of the humanity.
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