It’s not very often that you get the opportunity to see, up-close and in-person, how one generation of a family pays tribute to the works of an older generation. In ‘Ode to my father Jamil Naqsh’, accomplished artist in her own right Mona Naqsh pays tribute to the memory of a man who not only begot her but also mentored her, and is one of Pakistan’s greatest artists. It’s an emotional display of vividly detailed works that display a daughter’s love for her father.

Mona’s work has a strong Jamil Naqsh-influence but she approaches each of the artworks with her own distinct style, merging both her father’s and her approaches to art.

According to the curator of the exhibition, Pomme Amina Shahbaz, “The intensity of observation was something that Mona’s father had instilled in her from a young age. He was a mentor in honing her painting techniques and all of Mona’s formal training was accomplished under his tutelage.

“The objects in her paintings portray the contrast between ‘real’ and ‘unreal’, fragile and strong, organic and artificial,” she continues. “Mona’s work has a certain synerg that transcends in her painting with moods and shades of light signifying different times of the day. The ingenious use of newsprint in black and white juxtaposed with colour and translucent patterns creates a strong background visual.”

Mona Naqsh’s new exhibit pays tribute to the artist who influenced her the most

And it shows. Both her father’s influence and her own individuality shines through her work.

About the work selected for her exhibition, Mona states, “Nature is full of surprises. In this secret world, everything is neatly arranged and interconnected. Every entity held in a delicate balance. If we shed more light on [this] relationship and [on the] intricate network, we reveal fascinating facts about [its] purpose, place and function. My current work depicts these relationships and the conversation with mankind as we are one of Nature’s employees. As Marc Chagall said: ‘I see God in every flower’.”

The exhibition itself has been divided into two distinct sections: incredibly detailed sketches and oil paintings.

About the sketches, Mona says, “[These] have been created in the profound memory of my dear father, Jamil Naqsh. Through this humble series, I have tried to portray elements of our love and bond by incorporating my line of subject, flowers, with that of my father’s signature pigeons.”

In Reverence I, we see a pigeon — symbolic of Jamil Naqsh’s work — perched on a ladylike hand held over fallen leaves. As we progress through to Reverence II, Reverence III, Reverence IV, Reverence V, Reverence VI and Reverence VII, we see how the same pigeon, leaves and hand first morph into a bouquet in a glass, tumbler and then a jug with the leaves and flowers merging with the birds until they are all but one, in a fantastic rendition showing how deeply intertwined they are.

This is, of course, symbolic of the connection both father and daughter shared. There are other stunning sketches of flowers in the exhibition, but this series caught my eye.

From her collection of oil paintings, Past and Present is the most symbolic of her connection with her father. There is a stunning bouquet of red and green flowers in a chequered, mirrored, thick vase, full and bright, signifying a full life. In the backdrop is a sombre painting of a pigeon — Naqsh senior, no doubt, always present even when he is not here anymore.

Rise to Light moves away from Mona’s usual colour palette and brilliantly displays leaves in bright orange autumn hues set against a green and black backdrop. Some are wilting, signifying loss, but most of this bouquet is celebrating life — against all odds.

“Placing a photograph of my father near me as I engaged in the process of creation, enabled me to bring depth into my work and helped to create an evocative and enigmatic essence in the atmosphere,” she says. “Every line, form, light and shade in these drawings are in conversation with one another and speak only one language — the language of love.”

‘Ode to my father Jamil Naqsh’ was exhibited at the Koel Art Gallery, Karachi from October 11-26, 2022

Published in Dawn, EOS, November 6th, 2022