Lot 249: IMRAN QURESHI (B. 1972)

IMRAN QURESHI (B. 1972)
The Artist's Younger Brother
signed and dated in Urdu (centre right)
gouache on wasli paper
Image: 7 3/16 x 4 5/16 in. (18.5 x 11.5 cm.)
Folio: 14 3/8 x 8 9/16 in. (37 x 22.5 cm.)
Painted in 1995

New Delhi, Devi Art Foundation, Reassemble, January - May 2010 Manchester, Manchester Art Gallery, Beyond The Page, September 2006 - January 2007
Brisbane, Queensland Art Gallery, Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, September 1999 - January 2000
Colombo, Lionel Wendt Art Gallery, Rumours of Spring: Eight Contemporary Artists from Pakistan, April 1997

A. Dawood and H. Nasar, eds., Beyond The Page, London 2006, fig. 15 (illustrated, unpaginated)
H. Nasar, 'Beyond the Page: Curatorial Notes,' Beyond The Page, 2006, p. 19
Reassemble, exhibition catalogue, New Delhi, 2010, p. 14 (illustrated)

Acquired directly from the artist

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE ASIAN COLLECTION
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Imran Qureshi trained as a traditional miniature painter in Lahore and is a leading figure in having pushed the boundaries of this art form into contemporary contexts and influencing a wave of practitioners in this field. Qureshi combines his contemporary subjects with the merging of social commentary and Mughal traditions into an enthralling whole and his work has gained critical acclaim internationally.

Early in his career, Qureshi moved away from the traditional subjects of the miniature. A lone figure in profile, portraying the artist's younger brother is serenely set against a rural background. His attire is foppish and modern and his compelling pose exudes self-confidence, with highly detailed flowers springing from the empty ground behind him, punctuating the canvas with bursts of colour.

Like many of his works, Qureshi installs this piece with multiple meanings. The man before us stands alone against an empty background gazing off at something we cannot see, possibly a representation of modern day Pakistan with a sense of displacement and the notions of retaining identities amidst the turmoil of a fractured Nation.