Anwar Jalal Shemza
Kites, 1978
Pen and ink on paper
21.3 x 29.7 cm
8.375 x 11.75 in
8.375 x 11.75 in
Signed and dated in Urdu lower left
This charming collage reflect Shemza’s interest in architecture, especially the royal architecture of Lahore - a former capital of the Mughal emperors. The sixteenth century walled city with its monumental...
This charming collage reflect Shemza’s interest in architecture, especially the royal architecture of Lahore - a former capital of the Mughal emperors. The sixteenth century walled city with its monumental fort, mosques, domes and arches was a constant source of inspiration for the artist. This is the city that had welcomed him in the aftermath of the riots that followed on from the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, allowing him the space to develop as an artist and writer. Deeply nostalgic, the work was created as Shemza had been contemplating a return to Pakistan from England where he had been living since 1956. Shemza’s works from the 1970s depicting Lahore are often compared to works from the 1920s by Paul Klee.