Pretty Women

Robin Rice on Visual Art | Iqbal Hussain: The Painter of Imprisoned Souls

by Robin Rice

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As a child, Iqbal Hussain knew how his mother and sister earned a living. Earlier generations of women had been courtesans of Pakistan's Maharaja of Patiala, but political upheaval reduced them to common sex workers. As a result, the artist — recognized as one of his native country's premier painters — takes as his main theme prostitutes and entertainers of the ancient red-light district in Lahore where he grew up. Though not explicitly sexual, the voluptuous female silhouettes have a timeless resonance so obvious that they might be clichés if they weren't more personal.

At first glance, Hussain's paintings are not particularly challenging to American eyes. But from a more insightful viewpoint, the girls and women he depicts become more poignant, more individual. Kohl-rimmed eyes are stoic and filled with pathos. Small, graceful gestures of the hands suggest an inner elegance and sensitivity unnoticed in a crass world of commerce.

Hussain's solo show at Twelve Gates Gallery also includes his delicate calligraphic landscapes of the Ravi River. He will be in Philadelphia this Saturday at 7 p.m. to sign copies of The Painter of Imprisoned Souls, a biographical consideration of his work by noted art critic Marjorie Hussain.

With artists like Hussain, Twelve Gates brings something new and significant to Philadelphia. Gallery director Aisha Khan and her husband, Atif Sheikh, moved here from New Jersey, choosing Philadelphia as a city in particular need of contemporary South Asian art. "We changed everything in our lives to open this gallery," says Khan, who envisions the year-old Twelve Gates as more than a showcase for artists of the Indian and Pakistani diaspora. With music, performance and lively dialogue, she hopes her gallery will become a center for South Asian culture, 7,000 miles away.

(r_rice@citypaper.net)

Iqbal Hussain: The Painter of Imprisoned Souls | Through June 5, Twelve Gates Art Gallery, 305 Cherry St., 215-253-8578, twelvegatesgallery.com