When it comes to Shahzia Sikander's Indian and Persian miniature paintings, it's all about breaking tradition. She tries to find new ways of depicting this art form through the medium of paint.
Sikander's works are heavily influenced by Hinduism and Islam. A lot of her pieces have Muslim and Hindu imagery mixed together in one painting, such as when Sikander depicted a many armed goddess with a veil. Sikander's paintings also have a personal quality to them. In some of her pieces, Sikander tries to implant her memories in the work by depicting certain images and words.
The subject matter Sikander uses are mostly her stylized people, animals, and architecture. Many points of view are shown in her work which aid in the surrealist feel her paintings emanate. Her pieces also have a translucent quality to them, due to how transparent the paint is. In fact, it could take up to 20 layers to build up a color she wants. Some of Sikander's other works possess this translucency too because instead of painting on canvas, she'll paint on tissue paper.
There are times when Sikander takes a break from miniature painting to do bigger pieces. However, she'll always return to this art form because of the peace it gives her.
Information provided by:
"Shahzia Sikander." Art21. PBS, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
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