I would never miss an exhibition by Marium Khan, Her work has a wistful charm and an innocence which is fetching. The first exhibition of hers which I attended at the National Museum was in January 2010. I was at once struck by her childlike enthusiasm, her perky insouciance and her huge talent. The fact that she can’t speak or hear adds to her mystique. The theme three years ago cantered on a pictorial preservation of some of the belongings of the founder of the nation.

Khan came across as a representational artist. Among the many subjects that she had exhumed, the painting which I liked the best had portrayed Mr Jinnah’s desk, the open volume, books bound in Moroccan leather, an empty vase, an alarm clock and a candle stand with the hot wax dripping down the sides. It was quite riveting.

In her latest exhibition which was recently held at the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi, there was a dramatic change in style, content and tempo. The artist had entered the world of horses. And in the transition, realism has given way to partial distortion and fragmentation, but by golly the paintings are striking. Her use of colour is adroit, her sense of composition superb and she has lost none of her aesthetic feeling. The two compositions which I liked more than the others were the one which depicts a black and white horse against a structured green, and the other one is white and black background and the close up of a horse’s face that looks straight at the viewer somewhat mournfully.

Apparently Khan has always been fascinated by the creature and has been sketching or painting the animal since she was a young girl. Horses have also fascinated a number of poets of the canvas in Pakistan.

And every artist has, at some time in his or her life, had a bash at the four-footed beast. The equestrian theme has also fascinated a number of artists in Pakistan.

One of the leading exponents of the genre, Shehla Rahman, who refers to herself as ‘a horse painter’ has done some remarkable work in this field. Her painting of a group of wild horses thundering across the Russian Steppes will always remain a classic.

Closer to home in Sindh the subject has attracted numerous artists like the lesser known Hussain Chandio of Dadu, now settled in Hyderabad and the inimitable Eqbal Mehdi whose ‘Buzkashi’ is one of the most memorable works of art that I have seen this side of Suez. At times I wonder if he had been inspired by the great Busiki Abdullah of Indonesia.

The horse has inspired artists down the ages — not just in Europe and the new World, but also in Asia and Africa. Often depicted in battle, the subject has been used less frequently in modern times primarily because the animal is no longer significant as either a mode of transport or as an instrument in war. In the National Gallery in London I came across George Stubbs’ masterpiece, ‘Whistlejacket’, painted in 1762, which is arguably the finest portrait of a horse ever painted in Europe.

Of course, one can still find many canvases which the equestrian sport of jumping, fox hunting and horse racing involving famous steeds and mares; and lots and lots of rural scenes which were never quite complete without a majestic mare or steed. A number of American artists captured the Wild West cowboy herding cattle, or the Sioux or Apache warrior, axe or lance in hand attacking covered wagons. And in Argentina, which spawned the tango and the milonga — the gaucho on his steed herding cattle or playing his bandoneon near a camp fire was displayed in some memorable paintings. What would the world be without horses?