“This is poetry in colour,” remarked a viewer at S. M. Naqvi’s extensive and impressive painting exhibition titled “Continuum of colours” at the Art Scene Gallery in Karachi. With his free, intuitive and emotional use of colour and form, and his bold brushwork – existing for their own expressive sake – he remains true to the philosophy of abstract art, which has come to be regarded as the most characteristic form of 20th to early 21st century art. Naqvi began his artistic career by portraying realistically the beauty of nature and similar themes, producing also pen drawings with superbly balanced light and shade. Over time, he has, along with many others experimenting with various new styles, forsaken completely the idea of realistic art.
When he was very young, Naqvi’s parents wanted him to join the family textiles business, but on seeing his sketches, his mother in particular encouraged him to pursue art as a career, while his older brother supplied all his artwork needs. As a graduate in graphic design from the Mashkoor Art School in Karachi, Naqvi began his career as an advertising illustrator, but feeling the need to hone his artistic skills, he turned to painting. And while he was Mashkoor’s student, there is no reflection of his teacher’s technique or ideas in Naqvi’s work. This is remarkable since, frequently, an artist’s work (no matter how famous he might become) carries the indelible imprint either of the master or of another artist he admires. A case in point is that of the renowned Wahab Jaffer, who admits freely that, even now, he can see the influence of Ahmed Parveiz in his work.
Naqvi asserts: “Before doing abstracts, an artist must first master realism,” adding that, of the many types of abstract art with their independence from actual visual experience, he felt the need to work with colour combinations.
Untitled (40” x 78”)
His show, which featured 30 large-format, acrylic-on-canvas compositions, was a sell-out. Even given the local love of colour, on looking around, I could see that the more sombre-toned pieces had also enjoyed considerable patronage. These too were full of life and vigour. There is a particularly pleasing aspect to Naqvi’s generally dynamic style, along with variegated washes in pictures both sombre and colourful, and a depth of feeling that, here and there, made one want to simply stand, to stare and to wonder. I thought of the Welsh poet W. H. Davies’ quip: “What is this life, if full of care / One has no time to stand and stare?” Indeed, I heard several viewers say that gazing at the compositions was soothing.
Naqvi’s work has been described as “lyrical abstraction,” a term coined by the French painter Georges Mathieu, who spoke of “abstraction lyrique” some time ago. It is a rather vague term, used differently in different parts of the world, and therefore to be interpreted with caution. European critics, for example, often use it more or less as a synonym for “Art Informel” while American writers might see it as a version of abstract expressionism. But to some art critics, it implies particularly the lush and sumptuous use of colour, and in this respect, Naqvi’s work is indeed lyrical abstraction.
Untitled (27” x 53”)
Clearly, the queen of the collection was the 40 x 78” vertical piece that caught my eye immediately I entered. The painting is the result of work with a brush and knife after a direct throw from the tube – a popular technique nowadays, and also visible elsewhere in this exhibition. (It was snapped up by an art fiend.) Set against the background of his aforementioned trademark, the multi-coloured wash, we have a striking arrangement of colours – white, red, brown, orange – either entering or existing within a well-formed pillar of black. The artist’s desire while creating this composition was, he said, to show the power of colour, and in this he succeeds. Meanwhile, the lines darting here and there, and the occasional energetic brush-marks in no way detract from the unity of the piece. His intuition serves Naqvi well.
Another striking piece – this time a 27 x 53” horizontal work – displayed nebulous, flame-like eruptions of yellow and orange against a wash of midnight-blue. Here and there, some bold brushwork in green and white, interspersed with dynamic lines of red and yellow, added unity and a feeling of movement. And once more, Naqvi amply demonstrates the power of colour. What is more, this picture brings vividly to mind the bonfires formerly seen on high hills in many parts of Europe and Britain at Halloween. Such bonfires appeared well into the latter part of the 19th century and were probably intended, literally, to help the sun through the winter since it was believed to grow weak at that time.
Untitled (30” x 80”)
Untitled (36” x 36”)
"Before doing abstracts, an artist must first master realism"
Moving onwards, I came upon a fine example of controlled washes in orange-to-yellow, black and blue, surrounded by evenly textured turquoise. On the whole, the brushwork was gentler than in the previous piece, but still expressive. The gentle brushwork notwithstanding, in the preponderance of orange one feels the merciless heat of the sun, but there is also a feeling of water in this picture, with the downward flow of black to the right and the overflow of blue and black from the circle on the left. It was strongly suggestive, I thought, of the valiant attempts by 18th and 19th century explorers to find the source of the Nile. “Whatever is in the viewer’s mind, nature, soul, he will see in the paintings,” said Naqvi.
I also marvelled at some of his smaller pieces, for example a 36 x 36” painting on a brilliant, rani-pink and red background. It was the artist’s favourite in this particular show, he said to me; it reminded him of the gay festival of Holi, where merrymakers throw various forms of colour at one another – a kind of revelry originally intended to give thanks for a good harvest. Naqvi feels that it shows his own liveliness of spirit. Taking up most of the canvas is a joyous combination of colours with feathery, almost flame-like brush strokes directing one’s eye to the outer reaches; around the corner peeps another smaller burst of colour. It was, I thought, an excellent composition.
Another 36 x 36” eye-catcher shows an energetic assortment of colours against a black base, tobogganing gaily down a green hill, “the ship that moves on sea and land” following fast behind. (In Grimm’s Fairy Tales, such a ship was now and then demanded by kings from would-be bridegrooms of humble origin.) As to the green wash supporting all this movement, the artist explained that painters did not often use this particular green because it was easily spoilt when other colours merged with it. So Naqvi is to be congratulated both on his excellent control and on his judicious but unobtrusive use of minor details in the larger spaces.
Untitled (36” x 36”)
Untitled (24” x 36”)
In the preponderance of orange, one feels the merciless heat of the sun
I said to Naqvi that two of his paintings strongly resembled a troupe of dancers. He agreed, saying that now and then the “independent dance of colour” had been on his mind. The first of these pieces, a fascinating tangle of colour in two distinct parts, was rather like a pas de deux of ballet dancers in the short, multi-layered tutus of classical ballet (as opposed to the long tutu of romantic ballet). The figures dance against a gentle backdrop of light blue and yellow, with the cleverly manipulated wash descending in folds of yellow on the right.
A stunning 30 x 80” piece seemed to portray flamenco dancers – their grace, power and passion, and their swirling red skirts under the sky at night, while the dramatic rhythm of their stamping feet darted in between in lines and splashes of contrasting white. This style of dance began as a secret form of expression among the gypsies of Andalucía, and has become one of the most characteristic elements of Spanish culture. Meanwhile, the flashes of purple in this composition seem to represent the anguish in the songs accompanying the dances – the anguish of the poor and marginalized gypsies.
Untitled (18” x 36”)
Naqvi exercises a judicious but unobtrusive use of minor details in the larger spaces
Finally, there were two 18 x 36” pieces which, with their bold and colourful brushwork, and pronounced side-to-side movement, brought to mind the great Ismail Gulgee’s painting Composition au Carre Versailles. The colour schemes differ somewhat from the master’s, Naqvi’s composition employing brighter colours and a slower, more varied movement. Also, where Gulgee’s wash is stippled, Naqvi’s has a flowing quality. But the resemblance is there, and on hearing this, the young artist was greatly honoured.
Where does he go from here? Having won several awards and exhibited in a number of places, including the UK, the US, Dubai and of course in his home country – with some of his pieces decorating the walls of prestigious local hotels – Naqvi plans to go for larger and larger formats. Viewers, he explains, sometimes express a preference for these, though it is interesting to consider what challenges he will face along the way.
