Art historian, author and critic Edward Lucie-Smith had this to say about Najmi Sura’s work: “The rich fabrics, the glittering weapons, the strings of huge pearls: all are fully present. These details do not, however, overwhelm the human presence of the people depicted.”

In July this year, the Albemarle Gallery in London was the distinguished venue of an exquisite collection of 29 paintings in the singular signature style of Najmi Sura. Though her work is seldom seen in exhibition, she is an eminent, honoured artist and the recipient of various national awards.

Entering the gallery one was transposed to a courtly world reflecting the historic grandeur of the courts of the Mughal Emperors. Graceful, bejeweled women taking part in royal processions, or alone except for the presence of a bird, dominated the large canvases that were beautifully textured. The exhibition attracted a large audience of art lovers, with artists, friends visiting from Karachi, and the eminent Edward Lucie-Smith who has long been an admirer of Sura’s art. All were greeted by the curator and gallerist Tony Pontone, who moved among the visitors sharing their admiration of the art on view.

Najmi Sura’s exhibition at the Albemarle Gallery in London showcased her modern innovations on the traditional Mughal miniature

Najmi Sura began to paint seriously as a young woman and was initially excited by two disparate schools of art: the traditional art of miniature painting, and the colour and spontaneity of abstraction. The direction of her work changed when, guided by Jamil Naqsh, Najmi found her signature art in the matchless beauty of the Pahari, Rajput and Mughul Schools of art that that today characterise her work with a modern sensibility.

Years of study followed during which the artist used different media to familiarise herself with her tools. The artist was so involved with the historic eras of the schools of art and stories woven around the images found in each classic artwork that she was more interested in the discovery of styles and methods than of arranging exhibitions.

With time Najmi Sura was acknowledged as the artist who had modernised the miniature format in innovative ways, enlarging scale and using physiognomic, crisp outlines while keeping the trappings of the Mughal past. While assimilating the brocades, jewellery and profiles of the courtiers of that period, the artist introduced modern elements, incongruous flat planes and clashing shadows to break with tradition. This experimental approach distinguishes Najmi Sura from artists who have painted Mughal subjects in a revivalist rather than modernist style.

Among the paintings shown, one worked with oil on canvas took as a subject Prince Shahrukh. He is dressed in white with a strings of pearls on his wrists and seated on a richly-patterned carpet. Placing her subject against a gold background, Najmi Sura has framed the subject with a minuscule worked and delicate design. A painting titled: ‘Rajah with Courtesans’ is a feast of graduated colouration and design. The Rajah stands out in a costume of green with a gold headdress, while three young women stand behind him gazing over his shoulder in costumes that are shaded from orange hues to ‘old’ gold.

A couple painted in a garden with flowers and the palace far away in the background are beautifully gowned and jeweled and simply titled: ‘The Lovers.’ There was much to enjoy in Najmi Sura’s show and one met several young art students who were enthralled by the work. Perhaps the most haunting portrait of all was that of the Emperor Ahmed Shah. The consummate detailing of the subject’s facial features, and the strength and delicacy one discovered in his hands, created an aura of poignancy that captured the imagination of the viewer and held it there.

An exhibition of Najmi Sura’s paintings was exhibited from July 7th till July 30th at the Albemarle Gallery, London

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, August 28th, 2016