Recently one had the pleasure of viewing exhibitions in several Karachi galleries of miniature artworks painted in individual contemporary idioms by various artists. In this context one remembers with appreciation the pioneers who spent their lives reproducing traditional pieces to keep the art alive in Pakistan. Anna Molka Ahmed began classes with Ustad Moha­mmd Sharif at the Punjab University in the ’60s and complained to Colin David at the Slade School about how “little interest was shown by the students”.

Jamil Naqsh — a student at that time — was an exception. He left the National College of Arts (NCA) to spend a year working with Ustad Mohammad Sharif and continued to induct that training in his work. It was years later, when a degree level miniature art department was established at the NCA in 1982 (with Shazia Sikander leading the way) that the art flourished.

A recent exhibition at the Canvas Gallery, Karachi, showcased the work of Nizakat Ali Depar comprising 23 contemporary miniature artworks titled as “Narration and Imagi­nation”. Since his graduation with a distinction from the NCA in 2009, Depar has earned a formidable reputation.

Nazakat Ali Depar creates dramatic narratives with meticulous detail

Returning to his home town in Jamshoro, the artist joined the faculty of the Centre of Excellence and Design, University of Sindh, where he taught the art of miniature painting for three years. He showed his work extensively in Pakistan and was selected to participate in prestigious galleries in the US, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, Paris and Dubai. A solo exhibition of his work was mounted at the Jankorssen Gallery, Basle Switzerland.

Symmetry Map Series.

Explaining his work, the artist says, “My work is in the context of social, gender and religious issues of society and culture. In the culture where I have grown up, I have always tried to recontextualise the traditional making of miniature painting.

“Being an artist, what I use to observe is the perspective of my conscious and subconscious, the male figures in my paintings depict the male dominated society — a society where only men lead and consider themselves superior. They are transferring their superior heritage to other men like parrots, since a parrot has the ability to repeat the same thing that it has learnt, over and over again.”

In this exhibition, Depar leads the viewer on a journey that fuses symbols of traditional Mughal miniature art and brushwork, into a contemporary ambience. One discovers decorated elephants that fight against a textured background, graceful maidens swim and take their ease around a pool set against an intricate background of detailed maps and the symbol of travel, a bicycle.

There are scenes from stories that ignite the imagination with animals, Keekar trees, torsos of contemplative males and the story that portrays a woman carrying the severed head of her male victim.

Each of the artist’s paintings involves a dialogue with the viewer; it is the audience who may create a personal scenario. Traditionally miniature or album paintings were seldom framed or put behind glass. They were intended to be enjoyed at leisure, with the viewer enjoying every detail of the work. Miniature art flourished at the courts of the Mughal emperors, where groups of artists worked in teams depicting details illustrating images for books. These were the artworks that were to inspire future generations of artists such as Nazakat Ali Depar who creates his dramatic narratives with meticulous detail.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, October 19th, 2014