AUTHOR: JAMI
PUBLICATIONS: THE STAR–GALLERY (P.11)
DATED: 22 AUG 1991
ln all art forms, little nuances, imaginatively conceived painstakingly evolved, go a long way. An artist who has been painting in highly individualistic style provides deeper pleasure to his viewers if they continue to keep a track of what has taken long to incubate and mature.
Such an artist of little, meaningful nuances and finely defined style is Nahid who offers a gripping and charming extension of what she has been laboriously consolidating in her theme of “woman”.
Her vision of her “women” in her present show at the Gallery Chawkandi has been expanded through her own versions of icons, frescoes and similar tried and tested methods of expressing what is poignantly felt and what has been artistically refined in terms of subtle utilisation of the basic elements of forms, space and colours.
Nahid has chosen for the first time to say a few words: “l have attempted to merge the primitiveness of frescoes of the East, ancient art forms of Icon and elements of miniature paintings of the Subcontinent with my contemporary expressionist style. Through this combination of modern and ancient, I have tried to solve my aesthetic problem to create my own grammar and vocabulary, which l hope will enable the viewers to go deep into the inner meanings of my work”.
Nearly 20 years of having practised the art of mixing and dealing with colours has yielded a rich harvest of sensational combinations, minimal in essence yet opulent in their treatment. Her command in handling colours in fact redeems her rather complex compositions in which familiar elements of fish, eye and round objects play their own parts. Blue often relieves what has been dominated by reds and yellows and even blacks. The black also performs also similar redeeming functions. The border lines in red and touches of yellow are her stylistic elements which occur repeatedly, shaping a Nahid idiom of considerable aesthetic value.
Unlike many artists of the day who have to frequently exhibit to survive, Nahid really paints on each centimetre of canvas, a quality that puts her in the rank of serious-minded artists.
There are in fact very few who prefer to work hard and maintain a sense of cohesion and consistency that is partially or completely missing in the works of many who are getting away with trendy trash.
Even by Nahids standards, it is a small show. The works have been conceived as little frescoes and she has liberally borrowed a good deal of ideas from the masters in order to test her own ability to paint with great skill and creative vigour.
Ever since she had started to paint in clearly defined direction Nahid has been soberly sticking to theme. “Chawkandi Tombs” series has definitely been left believe and has now given away to “women” theme in good and depth and meaning painterly explore able and achievable for a woman artist who consistently takes care to avoid the banal attempts which are now being hustled by her public relations minded contemporaries.