An international exhibition at Karachi’s Artscene Gallery, titled ‘First Watercolour Biennale 2016’, covered contemporary works from almost all continents and featured 189 watercolour works by artists from countries as diverse as Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Pakistan and so on, going as far as the USA. The biennale proved to be a pearl of great price: true to its title, it did in fact tacitly emphasise peace and serenity - in nature, in town and city, in daily life and in certain portraits...
Above all, with regard to the pearl’s own nature, it was a fitting symbol with which to introduce these remarkable works. The pearl, enclosed in an outer shell, is an obvious emblem of the soul and of purity. It also symbolises the mystic centre of the personality, from which artistic endeavours may be said to arise. In fact, the third eye of Buddha was said to be a pearl, and represented the highest essence of wisdom. And the sadness associated with this treasure from the sea mirrors the sadness (though not the torment as in the case of Van Gogh) that often has its abode in the heart of the artist.
'Sad Old Man' by Intigam Jafarov from Azerbaijan
It is not only the talent displayed, but the wealth of ideas, that made this international watercolour biennale such a treasure
The plan for the exhibition, and its first presentation, were prepared by the Centre of Excellence and Design at the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, in collaboration with the International Watercolour Society, Pakistan. The IWS is a non-profit organisation, founded in 2011 in the ancient city of Teos, Turkey - a city also renowned for hosting the Guild of Artists. The vision of the IWS is to bring about a golden age in watercolour painting, which is one of the most challenging of mediums. One of the ways in which it helps artists is by creating opportunities for them through collaboration, and by providing both online and real-time platforms from which artists can showcase their work. So far, the IWS has organised seminars, workshops, exhibitions and festivals in about 50 countries, and this year began with a surge in membership in over 70 countries.
In the words of Atanur Dogan, IWS Global Founder and President, its aims are: “To establish a unique museum to celebrate the art of watercolour, to publish a journal of watercolour arts, to enhance the skills and knowledge of young watercolourists by organising activities such as workshops and summer camps and to provide support to young watercolour artists.”
The biennale was curated by Ali Abbas Syed, Pakistan’s most famous watercolour artist, known for his pictures of Sufis and of fakir gatherings, one or two of which appear in the show. Interestingly, he moved from his native Gujrat to Lahore while rather young, to pursue a career in film making, becoming a well known producer for Lollywood before embarking on his artistic career. He tells us that watercolour art in Pakistan has not been able to enjoy its deserved status and so it is struggling in the way that miniature painting and oil painting did in the past. He adds that this may be because there is no established watercolour academy in the country, whereas South Asia, Turkey, Iran, China and other countries have promoted it at a more academic, classical and contemporary level.
'A Door Waiting for a Home' by Ishfaque Ali
Renowned critic Marjorie Husain notes that the history of this branch of art is long and fascinating, having come down to us over centuries. It was used in ancient Egypt and later Eastern civilisations with beautiful results, and was compared by Giorgio Vasari to fresco painting, in that it demanded a hand that was ‘dexterous, resolute and rapid.’ In the 16th century, a similar technique was used for work on small sheets of paper in watercolour, and in the 18th and 19th centuries it became the medium used by British landscape painters. Interestingly, pigments were mixed with a gum that dissolved in water, thus providing for transparent stains. It is a medium that requires, as Vasari has told us, rapid and free handling: once the colour has been applied, and resolved by the ground, the watercolour artist - like the fresco painter - cannot change the work except by superimposing solid pigments over any errors.
The varied range of subjects in the exhibition spanned portraits, town and city views, boats and harbours, landscapes, reflections, flowers, still life, birds and animals and a few abstracts. As for portraits, ‘Sad Old Man,’ by Intigam Jafarov of Azerbaijan, is an arresting example. While not possessing the translucence generally expected of a watercolour piece, the gentle emotiveness, fine brushwork and lifelike detail are such that the portrait speaks to us and captures our hearts. In contrast, Bulgaria’s Krasimir Todorov’s monochromatic ‘Scarcity’ is a stark depiction of an old man driven to distraction by the lack of food and other necessities of life. His unruly hair, bloodshot, staring eyes and sunken forehead show a familiarity with this condition, typical of the problems that today drive so many from their homelands into a futile and tragic chase after a better life. The image is enhanced by the textured background. This artist - among other things including many portraits - has produced installations and collage-like multicoloured paintings. He has participated in both regional and national exhibitions. Some of his works are to be found in private collections and regional galleries in many countries including Japan, the USA and extensively across Europe.
'Crazy Horse' by Bangladeshi artist Iskandar Mirza
Clearly the queen of them all is 'Scheherezade' by Eman M. Salem of Egypt
Portraits in many moods are offered by artists from so many countries: Italy, France, Iran, Iraq - the list goes on and on. But clearly the queen of them all is ‘Scheherezade,’ by Eman Osama M. Salem of Egypt. The story and role of the original Scheherezade needs no introduction, but this portrayal produces a palpable fascination that comes right out of the page at the viewer. The translucence of her skin, the innocent elegance of her apparel, her remarkable beauty enhanced by such amazing eyes! It is altogether a captivating study, but yes, it is the eyes that capture and enrapture us, the tout ensemble enhanced by liberal floral decorations and the contrasting turquoise that surround it.
In contrast to the mystical, colourful dervish pictures of Karachi’s Khusro Subzwari, two powerful pieces by Pakistani Amir Hasan Rizvi appear, titled ‘Towards Truth I and II.’ Whereas Khusro paints his dancers in spiritual colours, surrounded by Paradise-like gardens, Rizvi shows dervishes dressed simply in their classical white and red felt topis (caps), all, apart from one musician, having divested themselves of their black cloaks - a gesture signifying the abandonment of worldly concerns. Both pictures feature the bold lines and arches of sturdy traditional architecture as a background. Note the eyes in ‘Towards Truth II,’ showing the approaching state of ecstatic union with the divine, and a certain degree of freedom in the hand movements. Normally the right hand faces up, to receive the blessings of the divine, while the left faces down, transferring these blessings to the earth.
'Scheherezade' by Eman Osama M. Salem of Egypt
As to animals, the bond between man and his 4-footed friends is beautifully rendered in gentle colours by Tang Benyan of China in his ‘Dream Horse,’ an exquisite study of a lovely young girl melting into the back of the horse upon which she rests, with a loving touch upon his neck. The vision of union with nature is underlined by the merging of the girl’s picturesque dress and the horse’s lower limbs with the soft plant life surrounding them. This is all in absolute contrast to ‘Crazy Horse,’ by Iskander Mirza of Bangladesh, showing a horse disturbed by the elements, with its wild eyes and flaring nostrils, its white coat and unruly white mane a direct contrast to the black storm clouds threatening to burst open above it. Meanwhile, Mirza’s monochromatic ‘Horse of Old Dhaka’ is a winning and peaceful portrayal of two patient old draft horses waiting before an old arched doorway for the “Gee up!’. Incidentally, apart from one or two really touching and charming bird studies, almost all animal pictures in this show feature horses.
The land which surrounds us is very well represented by a variety of landscapes from China, Darjeeling, Nepal, Ghana, Pakistan, Poland and Bangladesh, to mention just a few. Interestingly, whereas China’s Liu Yunsheng presents a barren, snowy place through which a family group makes its way, in the early tradition of East Asian art, the classical Chinese water ink painting featuring mountains and devoid of human presence, was considered the most prestigious art form. It must be noted that the elegance of the early Japanese mode of landscape art in ink and light colours is not to be overlooked. Meanwhile, the earliest ‘pure landscapes,’ which were frescoes from Minoan Greece dating back to around 1500 B,C., also showed no human figures. Whole landscapes developed in ancient Greece in the Hellenistic period. Originally both early Roman and Chinese traditions typically showed grand panoramas of imaginary landscapes, generally backed by ranges of spectacular mountains. Eventually, however, ‘landscapes’ became a term used to describe real views.
Juan Manuel Champi Huamani of Peru depicts the boats of his native Andean land
One such real and faithful view by Ghana’s Augustine Gokah, a powerful piece titled ‘Long Way to Travel,’ is set in a parched, basically yellow part of the countryside, and is dominated by the tangled branches of a huge, leafless grey tree - forming an impressive contrast. No doubt waiting for the rains, five human figures make their way patiently along a well trodden pathway through this place, heads heavily laden with food supplies brought from afar. The excellent depth of field carries the viewer’s eye far into the background, where the faint grey line of mountains merges with the faded blue sky. The artist’s keen observation and love of his country have given us an authentic view of this part of Ghana.
Perhaps more akin to our expectations of landscape works are the two dreamlike riverside views from the gentle palette of Brazilian Maria Ines Lukacs, or Surya Baraili’s lush mountain village view from Nepal, with its rustic bridge spanning the busy water. No doubt the familiarity of views typical of one’s place of birth or domicile conditions one’s outlook here, though with so many travelling nowadays, perhaps a broader perception of what constitutes a landscape has come to be. Even so, turning the pages of this magnificent tome, one’s eye is immediately arrested and one’s breath suspended by Ishfaque Ali’s ‘A Door Waiting for a Home’, where a portion of a ruined house stands isolated in a bare desert where the silence is palpable - the only signs of life being a few birds against the lonely sky. The subject, of course, raises many questions, but one has to admire the “resolute, dexterous and rapid” hand of the artist, whose skillful brushwork and subtle colour choice, coupled with a keen observation of the desert, give us a landscape which, though virtually empty, nevertheless has its own character.
'Night Street' - from a Nepali artist
Then from Greece, India, Peru, the Philippines and Spain, we are treated to pleasing views of boats and water (both seawater and fresh water, with their rich symbolism). Three classical images of special importance, the ship of state, the ship of the soul and the ship of the world exerted a strong influence on early Western religious thinking, with the ship as a symbol of the church. The idea of the body as the ship of the soul is based on the image of the hull under construction: the spine is likened to the keel, the frame timbers represent the ribs, and the place of the helmsman is the head. And in the shared fate of the crew and their dependence on the captain, the Ancient Greeks saw a clear allegorical reference to their own city-state, while the human body is likened to a ship where the soul and reason are the helmsman and the eyes and ears constitute the lookout.
The Greek painter Haris Christodoulides presents a homely view of two boats side by side on the sun-baked shore, with their gear strewn about, no sign of captain or crew, the church in the background completing the picture of order and disorder, as well as neatly completing the horizon. And the faint traces of mauve near the horizon of the picture give a discreet finishing touch.
Svetlana Krarehenko of Kazakhstan captures the charm of the Central Asian samovar with her 'Village Still Life'
Meanwhile,a most intriguing boat composition comes from the palette of Juan Manuel Champi Huamani of Peru, a country famed for its generally high altitude, spectacular waterways, including the Amazon river, the Apurimac river and Lake Titicaca. Peru boasts of unique boat forms, including sharply pointed kayaks, picturesque houseboats and reed coracles - some with amazing figures on the prow, and ancient, legendary water deities. His painstakingly worked picture titled ‘Poroxima Estacion,’ (‘Next Stop’) however, features none of these – instead depicting a number of ordinary, small dinghies and some humble, roughly painted houseboats, probably used by fishermen. On the river bank, some of the small dinghies are half buried, stern uppermost, in the sand - posing the question, “Who dunnit?” while a sign points out the distance to Estacion - 40 km. But why? These boats are obviously going nowhere, while on the black waters of the river others - including the largest houseboat - are arranged with geometrical precision, though they produce not a ripple. Where is their next station and where are they from?
Still-life paintings have their own unique magic, in that they can show us a new way of looking at ordinary objects around us. Once they are placed into a specific arrangement, then captured in paint, ink, pastel or any other medium, they take on a whole new meaning and their beauty is enhanced. During the last 30 years of his life, the great Cezanne, whose ‘Still Life with Apples’ has been much admired, painted these same objects over and over again His interest was not in the objects themselves, but in using them to experiment with shape, colour and lighting. Two pieces stand out from amongst the variety of still-life offered.
'Thatta 1' depicts the city in a sandstorm
Watercolour art in Pakistan is struggling the way miniature and oil painting did in the past
India’s Mega Kapoor has experimented very successfully with fruit and other items in her rather dainty 15 x 22 cm ‘Get Together At The Breakfast,’ with its emphasis on colour contrast. The arrangement of fruit and cheese is somewhat whimsical, yet logical, while the vibrant spray of flowers springing up from behind the tall wineglass adds light and movement against the dark background.
But this piece is no match for the 57 x 75cm ‘Village Still Life’ by Svetlana Krarehenko of Kazakhstan, with its immediate impact due to bold images, including a sturdy samovar and antique iron, with their colourful shading - perhaps reflected from other components of the composition. The painter has arranged red berries, mottled birds’ eggs, dried grass and flowers around the samovar and iron against a nicely contrasted background of rustic curtains on the right, with a pale blue wash filling in on the left. A judiciously placed tinge of yellow here and there in the wash fills in what might otherwise be negative spaces.
“Man is a social animal,” said the immortal Aristotle. Accordingly man has built every type of settlement from charming hamlets, villages, historic cities with their graceful architecture to the megacities of today with the hard, angular outlines of skyscrapers, hotels and giant office buildings. Examples of many of these and others appeared in the exhibition. We have ‘Warm Encounter,’ showing a smiling Chinese peasant woman against the backdrop of the stone and mud houses in a rustic hamlet. This picture is a combination of literal and abstract features. Though most examples shown are literal - if poetic - representations, ‘Thatta 1’ from Pakistan is an outstanding abstract rendition of the ancient city of the Indus Delta, in a dust storm, in varying shades of grey. The raging wind and clouds of blinding dust all but obliterate the outlines of most buildings, though some features like the wind catchers typical of the area, and certain details of old wooden structures, remain identifiable. It is remarkable how people survive against such climatic challenges. Then as a contrast to the late afternoon light and consequent long shadows cast by people hurrying home in Iran’s ‘Naghshe Square, ‘ dwarfed by the charming old architecture, we are mesmerised by ‘Night Street,’ from Nepal. Here the style of architecture is fairly conventional, but it is the flame-like light bursting from off-center and left that captures our attention as it illuminates focal points and somehow lends a blue-ish cast to the suroundings, while the few people wandering through are covered in golden light.
It is not only the talent displayed, but the wealth of ideas, that makes this international watercolour biennale such a treasure to behold, and in the words of the Director of the Centre of Excellence in Art and Design, Professor Dr. Bhai Khan Shar, plans are already afoot to organise a second such display in 2018.
