Subscribe
Miniature painting -the global traumas narrated by Saira Wasim
Saira Wasim is a prominent Pakistani miniaturist. I found a link to her website hidden in my unread emails. Some of her recent paintings are terrific. The image on the left is borrowed from here.
Anna Sloan, art historian, writes:
“Teeming with figures captured in mid-action, paintings by Saira Wasim present grand narratives. If it weren’t for their petite size and two-dimensionality, they might be mistaken for Greek mythology, Baroque opera, epic film, or other monumental genres. Yet, these small paintings represent a singular creation, one that transcends any individual medium or genre. In Wasim’s hands, the centuries-old format of the miniature painting has been transformed into a stage for human drama, a jam-packed cinematic space that approaches the grandeur of Cecil B. DeMille and the glamour of Bollywood. Like the protagonists of such grand genres, Wasim’s characters gesticulate, prance, shoot, and fly in majestic style. They laugh and boast in hideous fashion, and morph into grotesque hybrid creatures that hint at transcendent themes of good and evil.”
For instance see this powerful representation displayed on her website with the lyrical title, Lamentation of Innocence (Genocide),2005
 
One of the paintings -  Buzkashi - narrates a tale of contemporary Pakistan. The depiction of political and social undercurrents may be “subjective” but her work surely adds a new dimension to political art from Pakistan. Wasim’s websites states: “Buzkashi (literally means “goat-grabbingâ€) is an ancient game, national sports of Afghanistan and also played in many parts of North West Pakistan. It’s also called wildest game on earth. Here ‘Buzkashi’ is a metaphor of Pakistani politics, where every leader grabs for control of the country and every stronger wants to rule the weaker …”
The image on the left - Friendship After 11 September 1, (2001) found here - contextualizes and comments on the close relationship between Pakistan’s President General Musharraf and the US President after 9/11. There is an eclectic mix of realism, comedy and circus - there is movement and drama alive in the miniature format.
And this one is my favourite:  Mission Accomplished showing George Bush riding a cow with Tony Blair and the Pakistani President. South Asian motifs blended with strains of Western art, this painting cleverly sums up a myriad of perceptions and reactions to this tripartite alliance on the global scene. The image has been reproduced from the BBC website.
Wasim is expanding the frontiers of the traditional genre of miniature painting. It is a tremendous service to keep this art form alive and relevant.
December 22nd, 2006 at 10:31 am
Dear T, many thanks for visiting and leaving the comment. Yes I am also quite impressed and moved by her powerful work. She was quite prominent in Pakistan but of late is making her mark at the global scene.
I have been away fromthe blog and will write about this absence in detail..
March 8th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
hi. am thrilled to have seen these amazing miniatures… breathtaking. Am doing my thesis on the lahori style of miniatures done by imam bakhsh lahori; in doing my research, chanced upon this site- am so glad i did…..
June 19th, 2008 at 8:30 am
HI ASHMI,
I AM A BIG NEW FAN OF IMAM BAKSH LAHORI AND HIS PAINTINGS.CAN U TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET TO SEE MORE OF HIS WORK?
RISHAB