Ahmed Parvez

(1926-1979)

Untitled (The Game)

Footnotes

Provenance
Property from a private collection, France.
Acquired in Karachi;
Thence by descent.

Note: There is another painting on the reverse.

'Ahmed Parvez remains, even after death, one of Pakistan's most noted painters.' (Marcella Nesom Sirhandi, Contemporary Painting in Pakistan, Ferozsons, 1992, p.74)

Pierre Augé (1895-1967) was French Ambassador to Pakistan from 1950 to 1955. A Doctor of law, seriously wounded at Verdun in April 1916, he entered a diplomatic career after the First World War. He was posted to Canada and Shanghai, then dismissed by the Vichy regime in December 1940. During the Liberation, in August 1944, he was appointed Prefect of Aude in 1944. He then resumed his diplomatic career by opening the French Embassy in Australia and then in Karachi as French Ambassador to Pakistan. He discovered Ahmed Parvez during his 1955 exhibition in Karachi during which he acquired two figurative oils on panel.

A pioneering Pakistani modernist artist, Parvez was known for his emphasis on experimentation, abstraction, and modernist expressionism in his work, making him one of the most exhibited Pakistani painters abroad. Born in Rawalpindi, he started to dedicate himself to his passion for art at 26 in 1952, moving to Lahore to join his uncle studio, and started training in the European academic style at Punjab University.

In Lahore, he became part of the 'Lahore Group,' a collective of emerging artists who aimed to challenge traditions and reshaping the art landscape in Pakistan. This group embraced artistic freedom, as noted by art critic Jaya Appasamy, 'The younger artists who attained individual styles in the 1960s inherited great freedom. Their art could be simply a matter of personal preference and evolution.' (Ebrahim Alkazi, Manifestations XI - 75 Artists 20th Century Indian Artp.20). Over time, many members of the Lahore Group dispersed, traveling abroad to expand their horizons; Parvez, too, left for Europe, eventually settling in London in 1955. His journey symbolized the spirit of a generation of Pakistani artists who pushed boundaries and sought inspiration beyond their homeland.

These two lots were created a year prior to his move to London.

Though primarily celebrated as a colourist known for his later vibrant, explosive approaches, these two works The Game and The man of sorrows reveal an intriguing side of the artist. Here, Parvez departs slightly from his usual emphasis on colour for colour's sake, allowing figuration to take a central role. The seemingly random brushstrokes, which might ordinarily erupt into a cacophony of images and colours, instead come together here in contemplative, modernist portraitures. In The Man of sorrows, the subject, a seated figure with stylized, elongated features and a prominent forehead, embodies a vivid yet restrained expressiveness. Dressed in red, the figure is set against a muted background of greens, blues, and earthy tones, lending the piece an atmospheric depth. All this enhanced the introspective feel of the composition, emphasizing the artist's focus on emotion over realism. In The Game, two men crouch, adorned in vibrant hues of yellow and green against a muted, moody dark grey background. They appear to be engaged in a traditional Indian tabletop game, Carrom. Although there are two players, the composition evokes a sense of loneliness, depicting a solitary game. In these two works, Parvez channels his signature intensity into more focused and melancholic depictions of expressive figures.

To see a similar work sold at Sotheby's, see Indian and Southeast Asian Art, 22nd September 2000, New York, lot 238.