The Sadequain Gallery of Frere Hall, Karachi, was ablaze with light and colour where visitors gazed eagerly at the brilliantly hued paintings of beautiful gardens titled “Seasons of Lahore”, an exhibition of 65 artworks by the distinguished artist Shahid Jalal.

The artist portrayed various gardens found in his hometown, Lahore. Covering various moods of nature, Jalal works with large canvases en plein air as taught by his mentor Khalid Iqbal many years ago.

A chartered accountant by profession, Jalal recounts how in his youth, family plans for his career did not include art. He studied in London and returned to begin a successful career, but at the age of 28, he took a two-year sabbatical and joined the National College of Arts, Lahore. Those were extremely happy years until family obligations deemed it necessary to rejoin his profession.

The spirit of joie de vivre is the hallmark of Shahid Jalal’s paintings

Yet the artist continued to follow his muse at every opportunity, working for hours in the outdoors, preferably at the beginning of the day. He was delighted in the gardens of his friends and in the landscape of the Lawrence Gardens — always painting ‘on spot’ as he deplores the use of photographs.

The recent exhibition of his work included a series of four views of his garden painted at different times of day: ‘The dining room — afternoon’, ‘The veranda — afternoon’, ‘The veranda — evening’, ‘The veranda — morning’. Although the entire collection paid homage to nature, these were particularly moving as the silent rooms carried an atmosphere that enhanced the landscape.

Red simbal tree in the evening

One must also appreciate the artist’s family who support him in his philanthropy. All paintings displayed were donated to raise funds in aid of the wonderful work done by the non-profit organisation, The Citizen’s Foundation (TCF), which was established in 1995, and is now running 1,000 schools. During the exhibition a silent auction took place that attracted much attention. Art enthusiasts may remember a similar event in 2008, when Jalal’s paintings were successfully exhibited for the cause of the TCF in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

One has visited some TCF schools and has been most impressed by the work of the students in various subjects under dedicated teachers and would wish to see more such schools in the country, funded by responsible citizens and philanthropists. One must also appreciate the governing boards and committee members of such organisations who continue to work with commitment.

Gazing at paintings titled ‘Yellow canna flowers’, ‘Red canna flowers’, ‘Amaltas tree by the yellow well’, ‘The largest carpet of flowers in the world’, ‘Chrysanthemums in the park’ and other mood enhancing paintings, one reflected on the custom of ancient Romans who had walls of their inner rooms covered with frescos depicting the beauty of nature.

Images of the ‘Garden of Eden’, ‘Elysian fields’ and other such sites have inspired artists through the ages as have all such bucolic and verdant images. One could sense the pleasure of the visitors to the exhibition where the artist was present to meet the guests, talk about his work with a colourful catalogue of the paintings available. It was apparent that Shahid Jalal’s ability to make the ensemble ‘come alive,’ was proof of his knowledge of his subject as well as his artistry and also a tribute to his early mentors.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 7th, 2014