Contemporary Miniature Painting: Pedagogy and Practice by Ali Adil Khan
By: Khan, Ali (ali) At: 2006-04-23 08:05:01
Emperor Humayun (1508-1556), son of Babur (1483-1530), founder of the Mughal Dynasty in India in 1526, was the first great patron of the Persian style of miniature painting in South Asia. In 1550, he ... more > Emperor Humayun (1508-1556), son of Babur (1483-1530), founder of the Mughal Dynasty in India in 1526, was the first great patron of the Persian style of miniature painting in South Asia. In 1550, he invited the students of the Master painter Bihzad from Persia to join his court in Kabul. His court painters were commissioned to produce large volumes of albums that documented and illustrated Mughal conquests and imperial reigns. Subsequent Mughal emperors, such as Akbar, Jehangir and Shahjahan, also took a personal interest in the perfection of their court ateliers and filled their libraries with thousands of volumes. The court workshop, or Karkhana, was generally comprised of 100-150 dedicated artists who collectively produced painted illustrations for the album. Three or more artists typically worked on a single painting. Based on their individual expertise, each artist contributed a specific element to the painting that began with an overall composition determined by the master artist. Other painters were then responsible for filling in foliage, mountains, sky, architectural details, human figures or animals, and elaborate borders. The calligraphy of a manuscript was always done by specialized calligraphers whose status in the courts was usually greater than that of most Master artists who excelled in their works, such as Manohar, Mansur, Nanha, Abu’l Hasan, Govardhan, Bichitr and Balchand who became the favorites of the kings and were rewarded and invited to travel with the emperor on his expeditions.
Hence perfection, specialization and attention to detail became the hallmarks of the miniature style of painting from South Asia. The National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore, Pakistan, previously known as the Mayo School of Arts, is the last remaining art school in the world today that offers Miniature Painting as a specialization. For over five decades starting from the 1950s, miniature painting has been taught by a lineage of Ustads (masters), such as Haji Muhammad Sharif a court painter from the Princely Punjab State of Patiala and Sheikh Shujaullah from the State of Amber in Rajasthan, India. But it was Ustad Bashir Ahmed, a disciple of the latter, who is credited with the present revival of miniature painting by establishing the curriculum for miniature painting as a specialization in the department of fine arts at the NCA in the early 1980s. This was at the behest of Zahoor ul Akhlaq, a leading practitioner of contemporary art and Professor of Arts at the NCA. Zahoor was a student at the Royal College of Art in London and was greatly influenced by his encounters with the Indian miniature collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, which later emerged strongly in his works.
The NCA continues to attract, retain and train the best talents from the country. Every year 20,000 to 25,000 aspiring candidates apply for 100 positions in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program. Given the high standards and expectations, all candidates are put through a grueling entrance exam comprising of drawing tests, interviews and a review of works by a panel of evaluators. Upon completion of the first year, students who apply for miniature painting as a major in the fine arts program are carefully selected by Ustad Bashir Ahmed and other notable teachers, such as Muhammad Imran Qureshi, based on their skills and aptitude. Those who are among the selected 5-10 (a diminutive 0.025% of aspiring candidates) then go through a rigorous two years of training and final year thesis exam to ultimately graduate as a miniaturist. At each step, students learn by example as teachers demonstrate the detailed processes involved in creating a miniature painting. These ritualized steps include making the paint brush from the hair of a squirrel’s tail, preparing the wasli (paper) by pasting thin layers of paper using prepared glue called layee which becomes the ground for the painting, grinding minerals for the opaque pigments and patiently tracing the primary image onto the wasli using the charba method. The traditional charba tracing technique employs a leather screen with tiny holes through which powder is passed to form the outlines of an underdrawing. To obtain hair from a squirrel’s tail for the brush, students of miniature painting at the NCA organize afternoon picnics in places like the Shalimar Garden to trap and kill squirrels. The making of the opaque colours involves mixing sufaida (zinc), which is not commonly available in the art stores and is derived as a residue from white paint, with pigments and using sea shells as palettes.
The early instruction in miniature painting at the NCA was based on making copies of works from different regions, periods and schools of the sub-continent, such as Mughal, Kangra, Decanni, Punjab and Pahari. Gradually, the students and faculty of the NCA recognized these techniques could also have a powerful meaning in contemporary art. Soon contemporary practices were built into the curriculum and students were encouraged to incorporate contemporary subjects in their work while not deviating from the traditional practice.
The first major shift occurred in the work of Shahzia Sikander, a final year student at the NCA in 1993. Sikander, along with other students who followed her in the Miniature Painting program, such as the ones featured in ‘Gendering Detail’, took the practice of contemporary miniature painting to new heights. Contemporary miniature paintings of Talha Rathore, Tazeen Qayyum, Sehr Jalal and Amna Amir clearly illustrate this journey towards the development, expansion and recognition of contemporary miniature practice.
Contemporary miniature painting in the hands of these four outstanding artists critically addresses vital social and geo-political issues and contains strong meanings that challenge the status quo and raises questions around the social conditions of artists either in Pakistan or in the Diaspora. Their solid footing in traditional techniques and strong links to South Asia and the West work together to bravely tackle the social, political and gender issues of their immediate, and varied, environments. These are only a few reasons why this work merits close attention, and why this ancient painting technique is increasingly gaining recognition in the modern realm of contemporary art.
Sources:
Beach, Milo Cleveland and Koch, Ebba: Padshanama: King of the World, Smithsonian Institute, 1997
Guy, John and Swallow, Deborah, Arts of India, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1990
Seyller, John, The adventures of Humza, Smithsonian Institute, 2003
Hashmi, Salima, Spinning Stories: The art of Pakistani women miniaturists, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2005
Qayyum, Tazeen, Interview with Ali Adil Khan, 2005
Phillips, Kristy, Acknowledgement of invaluable review and comments on earlier drafts, 2006
Gendering Detail: Exhibition of Contemporary Miniature Paintings
By: Khan, Ali (ali) At: 2006-04-23 07:44:46
By Talha Rathore, Tazeen Qayyum, Sehr Jalal and Amna Amir
May 1-28, 2006
Art Square Gallery, 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Mon-Fri: 10-9 pm, Sat-Sun: 10-5 pm
Open... more > By Talha Rathore, Tazeen Qayyum, Sehr Jalal and Amna Amir
May 1-28, 2006
Art Square Gallery, 334 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Mon-Fri: 10-9 pm, Sat-Sun: 10-5 pm
Opening reception: Friday May 5, 2006 from 6-8 pm
Chief Guest: Haroon Siddiqui, Editor Emeritus of the Toronto Star and recipient of Order of Canada
South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA) in partnership with Art Square Gallery and Centre A: Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, is pleased to present for the first time in Canada works of four international contemporary miniature artists. The exhibition titled Gendering Detail, curated by Kristy Phillips, features the intricate brushwork and creative expressions of Talha Rathore (New York), Tazeen Qayyum (Toronto), Sehr Jalal (Boston) and Amna Amir (Dubai). Each artist has received training in the traditional techniques of miniature painting from the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore, Pakistan, but they produce work that speaks to the current era. They employ the evocative nature of the detail as an instrument to explore their contemporary space as women in South Asia and other parts of the world, in Islam, and as political and sensual beings. The viewer, rendered giant by the minutiae of the work, is forced to revisit the act of viewing in the 16th century as an intimate encounter of physical investigation, to scrutinize the complexity of brushwork and ultimately admire the devil in the detail.
From July 1-31 the show will travel to Burlington, Ontario where it will be exhibited at SAGA's new location in Artists Walk at Village Square. From November 4-December 16, Gendering Detail will be exhibited at Centre A: Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. This show is sponsored by Inforica and DAWN Canadian Labels.
 Press Release:
New Artist Catalogues
By: Khan, Ali (ali) At: 2005-12-03 23:47:59
Two new artist catalogues are available for Syed Iqbal and Youngo Verma:
Catalogue: Syed Iqbal
Catalogue: Youngo Verma
Women of Susbtance: Group Exhibition (July 31-Oct 2, 2005)
By: Khan, Ali (ali) At: 2005-08-13 11:31:23
Women of Substance: Tarunika Mansaram, Sylvat Aziz, Samina Mansuri, Asma Arshad Mahmood
July 31 – October 2, 2005
The exhibition titled Women of Substance featuring four illustri... more > Women of Substance: Tarunika Mansaram, Sylvat Aziz, Samina Mansuri, Asma Arshad Mahmood
July 31 – October 2, 2005
The exhibition titled Women of Substance featuring four illustrious artists from Ontario, Canada was inaugurated by Lata Pada, Founder and Artistic Director of Sampradaya Dance Creations, and a leading Canadian artist renowned for her excellence in Bharatanatyam classical Indian dance.
Tarunika Mansaram, Sylvat Aziz, Samina Mansuri and Asma Arshad Mahmood have developed distinctive styles and achieved a high degree of conceptual maturity by meticulously pursuing their inspirations and translating them into cogent visualizations. Their works are piercing investigations into concepts, attitudes, relationships and beliefs – questioning their very existence and critically examining variations in their form through constant change. These works reflect their true sensibilities, experiences and observations.
The exhibition has been curated by Meenakshi Alimchandani and Ali Adil Khan.
Press Release
New Suburban SAGA - ART India Journal (April 2005 issue ii, volume X)
By: Khan, Ali (ali) At: 2005-06-11 06:02:55
By Kristy Phillips
The South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA), which opened on February 5th 2005, is probably the first gallery of its kind in the Greater Toronto area. It is part of an init... more > By Kristy Phillips
The South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA), which opened on February 5th 2005, is probably the first gallery of its kind in the Greater Toronto area. It is part of an initiative that hopes to extend support to South Asian artists in Southern Ontario, Canada. The gallery itself is a little unconventional though. Tucked away in a sleepy, suburban residential street, far from most other high profile Toronto galleries, SAGA is located in Ali Adil Khan's basement.
http://www.artindiamag.com
Detailed article
South Asian Art in Toronto - LIBAS Magazine (April 2005)
By: Khan, Ali (ali) At: 2005-05-31 06:37:04
LIBAS International Art Review
A Gallery in Toronto dedicated to artists from South Asia debuts with the works of impressive names like Sadequain and M.F. Husain.
In Febr... more > LIBAS International Art Review
A Gallery in Toronto dedicated to artists from South Asia debuts with the works of impressive names like Sadequain and M.F. Husain.
In February, Toronto saw the inauguration of the South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA). SAGA is the first gallery of its kind to open in the greater Toronto area with the aim of promoting, exhibiting and selling works of emerging and established South Asian artists. Sohail Rana, the renowned music composer who inaugurated the gallery said "when I saw the gallery. I felt inspired, guided and elated -- in fact my immediate feelings turned into a silent prayer, wishing this gallery to permanently grow into a platform and a home for South Asian artists".
http://libasinternational.com/pages/art2.html
Grand Opening of SAGA
By: Khan, Ali (ali) At: 2005-05-26 07:19:00
Feb 5-April 23, 2005: Grand Opening and Exhibition of South Asian Masters: Sadequain, Husain, Mansaram and Youngo
For more details please click open the press release
Press Release
South Asian Gallery of Art (SAGA) opens in Oakville
By: Khan, Ali (ali) At: 2005-05-26 06:30:59
Aparita Bhandari writes.....A Contemporary Stroke
It is definitely a unique venture. The recently opened South Asian Gallery of Art is actually situated in the basement of the managing... more > Aparita Bhandari writes.....A Contemporary Stroke
It is definitely a unique venture. The recently opened South Asian Gallery of Art is actually situated in the basement of the managing partner Ali Adil Khan’s large house in Oakville. Ring the doorbell and an affable Mr. Khan will answer, graciously leading the way to the 1,250 square feet “gallery.”
Click here for full review.
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