LAHORE: An exhibition of artworks by late Shahid Jalal, a distinguished painter, titled, ‘In the Realm of Cacti’ will be inaugurated by Nighat Yawar Ali at Ejaz Art Gallery, MM Alam Road, on Thursday (today).

The relevance of putting on display Jalal’s artworks by his family in the current month is that he was born and passed away in August. Since his children are also in Pakistan these days, the family decided to put on display some of his works.

Jalal’s paintings are more than just visual treats; they are a celebration of life, imbued with his sunny disposition and exuberant spirit. They serve as a lasting testament to his meaningful life, his support for various causes and charities, and his enduring presence that continues to bring joy and comfort to his loved ones and art enthusiasts alike.

About the exhibition, Shahid Jalal’s daughter Sehr Jalal says,“My father’s love of painting cacti goes all the way back to when I was a little girl, accompanying him on his visits to his mentor and master landscape painter, Khalid Iqbal’s house. Khalid sahib, as my father would refer to him, had with great love and painstaking effort, created a beautiful cacti garden in his front lawn”.

She says, “ We would sit out on Khalid sahib’s front porch, from where one could view the exotic cacti with their unusual shapes rising from the ground. This was around the time when my father was working on his Lawrence Garden series, and he would bring some of his paintings over to be critiqued by Khalid sahib. It was over the course of many such visits that my father would decide to have the garden be the inspiration behind an entire exhibition. His faithful rendering of the cacti garden immortalised and captured its beauty in his paintings, reflecting a place that no longer exists”.

She adds, “His current cacti series capture the same fascination with the geometric and otherworldly shapes of this unusual plant species. In some paintings, he revisits the same setting either at a different time of day or from another angle, in order to create multiple variations in tone and light and view. In others, we view clusters of organic geometric cacti shapes emanating from the ground. In others , we see anthropomorphic prickly forms looming above the grass, capturing light perfectly on their surface”.

Sehr says this cacti series is the final series of paintings her father was working on, as included in the exhibition are a few unfinished canvases, which remind us of his unexpected and untimely demise.

She says as with each and everyone of his exhibitions and paintings, these paintings also reflect a complete dedication and perfection of his craft. He made it look easy, effortless almost, with the uncanny ability to capture light and shadow so convincingly on a two dimensional canvas and all the while working on multiple canvases simultaneously, she adds.

Jalal’s paintings are ultimately representative of his pure joy for life, his sunny, exuberant disposition present in each inflection of his brushstrokes. They are also reflective of his patience and dedication to his passion, building layer upon layer in order to create the rich textured brilliance of his canvases.

“It is also a reflection on how to live a meaningful life, paintings through which he immortalised his presence beyond his earthly life, paintings that he created to support causes and charities close to his heart, paintings that bring joy and meaning into our everyday lives, and comfort his loved ones with his continuing presence,” says Sehr.

The exhibition will remain open till August 16th.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2024