Art: The battleground that is life
Farhan Siddiqui
By Marjorie Husain
Chawkandi Art has succeeded in bringing about the welcome
collaboration of two distinguished artists, Meher Afroz and Mussarat
Mirza. The unusual alliance which brings together approximately forty
paintings is certain to interest art enthusiasts of all generations.
Sharing a rare aesthetic refinement, neither of these artists is seen
overly in the exhibition. While Meher may show a collection of artworks
on an average of once in four years, she does participate in important
group shows. Mussarat, who graduated from the Punjab University with an
MFA degree in the early sixties, has been a member of the faculty of
the Sindh University since its inception in 1970. Presently she heads
the fine arts department.
Her work was first seen in Karachi in a solo exhibition held in 1968,
when she displayed a collection of paintings titled "Dust and Desert".
The paintings reflected childhood views of Sindh as seen from a window
of her home in Sukkur, or from the flat rooftop. Mysterious vistas in
tones of purple and green tinted grays. Through the years, Mussarat
acquired the reputation of a sensitive and significant painter, keeping
a tenuous link with the local art scene through infrequent appearances
in group shows. Yet the demand for her work persisted. She is sought
after by curators and organizers of various art events who take pride
in including the artist's work in major exhibitions.
In 1986, Mussarat surprised art circles with a change of mood when she
exhibited a collection of vibrant, abstract watercolours. Now
reaffirming her work, she returns to her original concerns with the
landscape of her birthplace, a contemporary frame of reference and the
nature of paint. Mussarat's current work strikes a fine balance between
abstraction and imagery. Painting the traditional mud-houses of
villages in Sindh, her focus often echoes the creed of Constable as
documented in his memoirs: "I never saw an ugly thing in my life for
let the form of an object be what it may, light shade and perspective
will always make it beautiful...."
In Mussarat's paintings, the richness of oils structures the work
through mellow colouration. Imperceptibly colours overlap, earth
shades, greys, suggestions of green and lilac shades are particled with
history. Hers is a timeless Sindh, unchanged through generations. The
simple mud structures of the rural interior are home to a firmly rooted
people and transient pigeons.Most of the paintings in display are of
exteriors, shadowed walls one tone darker than the sky, the landscape
seemingly dominated by the dust which ultimately reclaims all. There
are few people in Mussarat's paintings; she is drawn to narrow,
partially seen lanes leading to unknown destinations; explores the
shapes of simple configurations; watches the birds, and muses on unseen
humans living their lives between four walls. A glimpse of an inner
space and its inhabitants is pared down to its very essence. In the
glow of a lamp, a woman sits on a charpoy, absorbed in teaching her
young son from a written page. A small girl's form is seen, illuminated
by the same light. There are no other artifacts to distract us, no
fripperies or frills to diminish the tenderness of the scene.
A lighter mood is evoked in a large painting which comes to life
through the presence of a gorgeous, marmalade cat. The bright, orange
fur gleams vividly against the subdued shades of the furnishings.
Stretched out and comfortably filling the chair, he is the king of
hearts. Mussarat likens the ceilings of the simple mud dwellings she
paints as "floating prayers". Windows as "dreams, some lit, some
deserted; the stairs leading to an ever-changing battleground of life."
Painter and printmaker, Meher Afroz graduated in Fine Arts from the
Government College of Art, Lucknow, in 1971 and two years later was a
lecturer at the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts in Karachi. In
spite of the lack of printmaking facilities in the country, the artist
persisted in her discipline, creating such an unusual and exciting body
of work that others began to follow her lead. The expertise and
sensitivity of her work in graphics earned her national awards in 1976
and in 1980.
In 1987, Afroz held a major exhibition of paintings and etchings in
Karachi, the subject expressed her concerns with the flux of individual
identity, a theme approached through geometric shapes and a profusion
of exquisite textures. Afroz continued to show her work at intervals
but her major involvement was with experimentation where she mixed
chemicals with her media.
A founder faculty member of the Indus Valley School, Afroz recently
opened a printmaking workshop of her own. Her work has been exhibited
abroad in several major exhibitions and she has travelled widely,
adding to her experience and representing Pakistan at international art
events.
In her present series displayed at Chawkandi Art, Afroz continues to
explore the inner workings of a sensitive, collective consciousness and
to analyse the reasons for the breakdown of social structure in
society. As the artist states, "I have used the perfectly balanced
relationship between the central point and the circle as an allegory.
It is my belief that all humans are born with an instinct for right and
wrong. Reinforced by religion and society, this builds a protective
circle of spirituality around them."
By implication, the changing values in the modern world have led man
away from the traditions that formulated his identity. Afroz's work
demands attention. Its substance is realized in the delicate handling
of surfaces, the depths and layers that allude to past, present and
future eras. Carving, scratching and removing areas of paint reveal
glimpses of colour, denser areas are almost like the plastering in
frescoes. There are suggestions of motifs and patterns linking other
ancient cultures.
Set among the texturized surfaces are forms draped in veils of
shimmering colour. One bridelike figure wears a cameo brooch bearing
her own portrait, the dark background broken by scarlet flower-heads.
The artist expresses the essentially timeless quality of human
experience with a sweeping freedom of form, conclusions translated into
an expressionistic style.
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