Art is a form of communicating with the environment of the artist, the society we reside in and it has a world of its own. While aesthetic sense directs audiences to view works of art in specific frameworks, it is the originality of the artist that creates a benchmark of his or her prestige.
Saqiba Suleman is one of those creative individuals who are making her way in the world of national and international art with thriving appraisal. Her recent solo exhibition of 23 paintings comprising oil and acrylic on canvas at Islamabad’s Tanzara Gallery left visitors enthralled and captivated by her mastery over the colour and composition that are pronounced in her paintings.
Suleman is a graduate of the College of Art and Design, Punjab University (2005) and worked as a lecturer at the department of fine arts at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur for two years. It is interesting to see that in her work it appears that a transition is taking place, a narrative about how a young girl must make her place in the world as a woman. Each of the paintings captures a moment, an intuitive understanding and an expressive discourse. All these factors encompass Suleman’s meticulously worked on paintings. If looked closely, the amount of work embedded on each canvas becomes apparent as it seems as if the different features on the surface are in fact entwined together.
The artist is surely inspired by the colours and shapes of nature, bringing the pattern of the flower and female figure closer together. In most of her paintings the female form and flower are painstakingly juxtaposed together which creates a harmonious balance and subtle resonance within the composition. Fused with visual vocabulary, intelligent portrayal of design, balance, rhythm and movement, Suleman’s control over manipulating the negative and positive areas in her paintings is a prominent component.
When asked about the relevance of the female form in her work, she enunciated how much more experimentation can be achieved with the female more than the male form. Sensation of the pose and the gestures of the female figure are what make it so tantalising, the contours and curves of the form are elements that appeal to Suleman.
The figurative structure is drawn first after which it is overlaid with an interconnection of lines and patterns taken straight from pieces of printed cloth. As the painting proceeds the different images come together as a three-dimensional piece.
John Ruskin, an English art critic, once said that there can be no art without understanding. Besides criticism and appreciation which is based on knowledge and experience, there is a room for instinctive feeling and emotion as well. Generally the emotional involvement of being drawn towards the visual arts is an essential factor for many people. It is this emotion, this driving force that makes artists like Suleman want to paint what she paints so well. It is a source of energy for her, the manifestation of selfhood that exists within these canvases is similar to the pattern of life itself.