Art review: Mughal conflicts in strokes

AQ Arif’s latest exhibition focuses on the crises that plagued the empire, as opposed to its architecture

KARACHI: Throughout his career, AQ Arif has been fixated over the lost glory of Mughal Empire and architecture, odes to which went on to became his claim to fame.

With his idée fixe intact, Arif in his latest solo exhibition ‘Epic Mughal’ flirts with the grandeur of Mughal Empire, albeit in ways that are different than his earlier approaches.

A graduate of Karachi School of Arts in 1996, Arif’s previous works had more-so shed light on the Mughal Empire’s architectural history. This time around it was the conflicts that plagued Mughal history, on and off battlefield, that have become the center of his canvas.

PHOTO: FILE

“Today’s show is a hard work of many months and his hard work has paid off as all the paintings are sold and the crowd is enjoying the transformation in Arif’s painting,” Muhammad Junaid, Director, Art Citi Gallery told The Express Tribune.

Arif seems confident and courageous enough to push the boundaries at a stage where most shiver at the idea of experimenting. The devil’s advocate, however, would consider this not a departure but an attempt by Arif to move out of his comfort zone.

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“The whole work took me 15 months to complete. The change in approach wasa big challenge for me but I am overwhelmed by the response,” Arif spoke about his new exhibit.

The overall display was a visual representation of wars that took place in Mughal times. It was interesting to observe the selection of colours; from soft to dark hues he boldly and assertively kept changing his palate to make the images look more dramatic as per the demand of the subject.

PHOTO: FILE

He used scumbling techniques to add variation and depth in his work. The idea of building layers of broken colours on top of each other added texture and luminosity to the painting.

The paintings ‘Princess on the river bank’ and ‘Prince on respite’ were a major shift towards figuratives in oil which weren’t seen before. The woman holding a flower in her hand reflected the fragility of peace while the jewels and bangles in white highlighted the obsession of the Mughal Royalty with jewelry.

‘On the warpath’ spoke about the aggression of a combatant. Wearing a black metal armour and holding a heavy weapon, the warrior’s intentions are clear ashe rides towards his enemies. The overall scheme of charcoal and black added a lot of character to the offering.

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Those familiar with Arif’s work would know that he smartly uses colour schemes to initiate a dialogue with his audience. In ‘Move Forward’ blue hues are used to create a dreamy effect. The image reflected victory, aggression, command, and leadership. The cavalry soldier holding a shield in one hand and a lance spoke evidently about the winning spirit.

PHOTO: FILE

At the same time, Arif also plays with the viewer’s perception. The images in some instances have a certain mystery to them; they either look like a compelling print or images made out of sand art.

However, the pursuit of new horizons hasn’t stopped Arif from infatuating about the architecture. The blurred Mughal structures in the background and at times being the focus of a painting clearly hinted that architecture still remains his interest.

The exhibition opened in Artciti Gallery on March 12 and was scheduled to showcase till April 10.

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