Inspired by Sufism

By Our Correspondent, "Saif-ul-Malook in miniature art" - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Monday, December 1, 2008

Lahore: A three-day-exhibition and the first-ever depiction of the famous Punjabi epic Saif-ul-Malook through miniature art in the Mughal-style paintings by an ex-student of NCA, Rabia Ashraf, captivated the art-lovers at Alhamra Arts Council on Sunday.

Rabia has attempted to depict Punjabi epic ‘Saif-ul-Malook’ written by the eminent Punjabi poet of Sufism, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh through her pictorial art, using miniatures presenting the Mughal figures and highlighting the significance of Sufism in the life of an ordinary person in the age when the people were more inclined to materialism rather than spiritualism.

While talking to The News, Rabia said that she started her work with a ‘Dot’ which showed ‘Oneness’ in terms of totality while arguing that all the expansions of time and space had taken their origin from this ‘Dot’ of totality. She further explained that the ‘Dot’ then gradually changed its form and dimensions, the squares and circles and oval shapes were showing different laws governing Nature, adding, in this way, the whole pattern of creation presented in the mind of God came into existence, starting from the origin and moving towards finality.

She said that she had used ‘Wasli’ style, which was used in Shahnama Firdous, in her paintings to present pictorial explanation of the epic with paintings inscribed with poetic lines on the canvas.

The most interesting thing was that the length of Wasli was almost 11 feet to maintain continuity in the presentation so that the art-lovers could comprehend the basic epic in details with exact pictorial depiction.

She said she had received great applause from the art-lovers as they were really amused at the use of ‘Wasli’ style for such a historic epic written by Sufi poet, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh.

‘I am highly inspired by Sufism and therefore, I try my level best to appease my thoughts while depicting such poetry through my art’, she added.

[Picture: The Alhamra Arts Council in Lahore. Photo from http://www.alhamraartscouncil.com.pk/index.html].