A massive book of over 500 pages, In Search of my Master, is an in-depth chronicle of the works of Jimmy Engineer, tracing his life from the time he was born to the present day, and containing numerous images of his prolific and varied oeuvre. In the 65 pages or so of textual content that makes for the beginning of the book Marjorie Husain has quoted various people including his Junior Cambridge English teacher at St Anthony’s, and his colleagues from the National College of Arts (NCA).
Husain traces Engineer’s career from his very first exhibition in 1977 when he displayed his massive oil-on-canvas paintings depicting the ‘Partition’ series that have now become his hallmark. She relates that Engineer’s journey as an artist was not a smooth one. He faced discrimination but nonetheless, managed to carve a path for himself in spite of all odds.
While the writer has covered all the major incidents in Engineer’s life that helped shape his personality and has traced all his exhibitions in chronological order, oddly enough, the in detail coverage of one major incident in Engineer’s life–his—marriage—is conspicuous by its absence. She merely mentions that the patriotic Engineer refused to leave the country and migrate with his family when they moved to the US; the family agreed to leave him behind only on the condition that he would get married so he would not be lonely, and dismisses the marriage with the statement “… in 1985 Jimmy married Shiraz.”
Engineer is perhaps the only artist whose claim to fame is not just his prolific art work, much of which comprises large museum pieces, but also his extensive social work. With his numerous walks for a cause and events for the happiness of physically or mentally challenged children, one doesn’t know what he spends time doing more. She also mentions that unlike most artists, Engineer has never been interested in commercial exhibitions, and most of his murals and life-size work have either been donated to museums, or been exhibited for a cause with the proceeds from the sales going to a charity.
Interspersing interesting anecdotes showcasing Engineer’s patriotism and his generous spirit with accounts of his various trips abroad where he held a series of lectures and exhibitions of his prints, Husain has taken pains to reveal to her readers Engineer the man, and not just Engineer the artist.
The biographical account of the artist gives way to beautiful pictorial pages tracing Engineer’s vast oeuvre. Not following any chronological order, the images have been placed according to the genre they belong to. Thus, beginning with the heart-rending ‘Partition’ series which are spread over 80 or so pages including four centrefolds and some detailed images, it progresses to the spiritual ‘Javid Nama Mural’.
Moving on to his prolific architectural series, Husain has followed it with images of his serene landscapes and seascapes, his attractive abstracts and his limited calligraphy. Other genres depicted include a ‘Mood’ series featuring trees, still life, miniature, war and terrorism, self-portrait, heritage, figures, animals, and pencil drawings, all of which serve to illustrate the versatility of this great artist.
A complete book on the life and works of Jimmy Engineer, it also incorporates photographs of the artist with various dignitaries and celebrities, a family album and a list of his achievements in chronological order. The tail end of the book has comments about the artist by a wide variety of people ranging from journalists to actors to social workers who have interacted with him.
A beautifully compiled book published by Pervez Iqbal of BBCL and edited by S M Shahid the only grouse I have with it is its weight—it’s nearly 10 pounds! Not surprisingly, while it looks impressive on the coffee table it is not the easiest book to handle while reading.