Soft expressions of poetry
By: NADEEM ZUBERI
The collection of paintings portraying various messages through soft expressions of poetry, masterly skills and naturalism in a solo show by Zebun Zuby at Majmua Gallery, Karachi is an interpretation of remarkable poetry by some of the eminent poets of Urdu literature.
The hidden themes in poetry are painted in a pleasant understandable way. The paintings speak for themselves as one can understand the meaning of the poetry clearly by viewing them. These paintings celebrate the power of love, peace and equality.
She captures the sufferings as well as the pleasing times according to the poem verses. Each painting is painted about a stanza of selected poems of classic and modern Urdu poets like Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal, Jigar Moradabadi, Daagh Dehlvi, Akber Allahabadi and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. And she has truly depicted the crux of every verse in her paintings thus giving a visual meaning to their verses in evocative and poetic compositions. Balancing with subtle hues of various colours she manages to give her paintings a romantic look.
She is exploring the subconscious of the poets in her paintings. Her work explores the nature of relationship between man and woman portraying techniques of miniature art while choosing bold themes like romance and beauty of women. Her paintings are pulsating, un-interruptive and full of energy.
She deals with the concept of a multi-verse in which humanity exists. Woman is the central image of her work. Each verse has the female presence. She paints embroidered colourful attires, laced with motifs of traditional women’s apparel to make the paintings connected with the time of poetry.
She has chosen watercolour as the medium for her paintings. Highlighting the essence of her favourite poet’s poetry is her way of paying homage to those poets. She enjoys portraying various experiences and expressions of poets. The paintings show all their emotions – love, exile, dejection, ecstasy, gloom and doom, passion and pleasure. And hence reveals entirely the mood of the poet and his poetry. With powerful compositions and fine details she conceives the verse visually on the paper with its true heart.
She explores various forms of femininity as depicted through the ages in the realm of poetry. The use of bright colours evokes a strong sense of confidence and at the same time tender vulnerability. Red, blue and yellow colour dominates her work, producing a riot of contrasting tones.
She combines the rhythm of vibrant colours and creative ethos to make a wonderful amalgamation to express the world of emotions. Her work is a personal reflection of feelings and thoughts of bygone poets. The paintings are symbolic, intense and sensitive featuring poetry of eminent poets in various themes enhancing their innovative skills in poetry.
She captures traditional imagery that visualises different issues through various stages of life on canvas regarding woman as well as man. The behavioural changes, emotional and sentimental figures, which she paints, are pictures of the poet’s soul, his confrontation with society and changes in behaviour due to unequal socio-economic status. She leaves a visual impact on viewer’s mind to understand the situation in a different manner, through poet’s eyes.
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