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lot 34

lot 34

Jamil Naqsh

Allah and the 99 Names of God

oil on canvas (4 paintings)
10 x 12 in. (25 x 30 cm.)
painted in 2013

Winning Bid: $ 12,000

Estimate: US$ 5,000 - 7,000

Lot Closed

Lot Details

Each signed 'Jamil Naqsh' (lower left)

(Lot Note: From a set of 100 calligraphy paintings from the series 'Allah and the 99 names of God')

TITLES
Ar-Rahman 'The Compassionate' (upper left)
Dhul'l-Jalal Wa'l-Ikram 'The Lord of Majesty and Generosity' (upper right)
Al-Qahhar 'The Dominant' (lower left)
As-Salam 'The Source of Peace' (lower right)

PROVENANCE
Pontone Gallery, London

EXHIBITED AND PUBLISHED
Jamil Naqsh 'The Painted Word', 4 July 2013 - 31 August 2013, Albemarle Gallery, London, pgs. 198, 240, 205, 200 (illustrated)

"The tradition of the '99 Names' is, of course more complicated and (perhaps intentionally) more ambiguous than it would seem to be at first sight. The Prophet invoked Allah by a number of descriptive names, which attribute different functions and qualities to the Supreme Being, without excluding others.[...] Therefore the 99 Names are also, paradoxically, often more than that number. The word Allah encompasses them all, however, the descriptions also have a function. Memorizing and reciting them enables the devotee to focus on the nature of the Divine, facet by facet, when it is impossible to encompass all aspects of divinity at once. The worshipper uses the recitation to attempt to grasp what is ungraspable. The names are therefore tools, in addition to being descriptions." (Edward Lucie-Smith, Jamil Naqsh 'The Painted Word', Albermarle Gallery, London, 2013, pg.195)

Jamil Naqsh

(1939 - 2019)
Born in 1939, in Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, India, Jamil Naqsh moved to Karachi in Pakistan following the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. In 1953, he enrolled at the National College Art (then Mayo College) in Lahore, but did not complete his education there, leaving after two years to study art on his own. Naqsh’s mature style is a blend of cubism – in the way he treats form and texture – tempered with fluidity and a subtle use of colour. Naqsh has painted the female form in many of his canvases replete with poise and grace. In another series of paintings he pairs pigeons and doves with the female form, symbolic of love, peace and gentleness. One more series of works, inspired by the Italian sculptor Mario Marini, who captured the beauty of the horse in his work, combines the elegance of the nude female with the sturdy grace of the equine figure. Naqsh’s work has been exhibited extensively in Pakistan, India, the UK and the UAE. Between 1960 and 68 he served as Co-Editor of Seep, an Urdu literary magazine, and between 1970 and 73 as President of the Pakistan Painters Guild. Among the artist’s many honours are medals and awards from the Pakistan Art Council, Karachi; the Ministry of Culture, Pakistan; and the Arts Council of Pakistan. In 2009, Naqsh was awarded the Sitara-e Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan, and in 2003, a retrospective of his work was held at the Mohatta Palace Museum in Karachi, a rare honour for a living artist. Naqsh passed away on May 16, 2019 after a sudden and brief illness, at St. Mary's hospital in London. He is recognized as one of the most important painters from Pakistan.