Artwork by Zahoor

This painting is derived from the Mughal miniature ‘Three Younger Sons of Shah Jahan by Balchand’. This diptych was added to the collection both for being a critical work from Zahoor-Ul-Akhlaque as well as its context within the Pakistani contemporary art movement both miniature and otherwise. Akhlaque’s influence set the tone for the experimentation for the contemporary artists who followed in his wake. This is a large scale iteration of Balchand’s renowned depiction of Shah Jahan’s youngest sons, the historical references are quiet pertinent yet the work is modernist with a strong abstract element.
This work can somewhat connect to Imran Qureshi’s Moderate Enlightenment series, though with Akhlaque the figures are historical while the treatment is modern while in Qureshi’s case the figure is contemporary while the treatment is traditional.

Exhibitions: This work was shown at the Beyond the Page Exhibition at The Manchester Art Gallery, 2006.

Published: Beyond the Page, Manchester Art Gallery the accompanying Catalogue in 2006.