Arif 1

Jimmy Engineer: A Paragon of modern Pakistani Art

"Javīd Nama for Jimmy is a conceptual nucleus around

which the poetic metaphors flower" , hameed zaman stated in majorie hussain's In search of

my master.

A few people in history have been able to leave significant influence on Pakistani art as

Jimmy Engineer did. His paintings stand a testament of his ability and their underlying

themes are inspiration for generations to come. Focusing on different aspects of Pakistani

culture, his masterpieces depict a purpose. He projected a positive image of the country to the

outside world, aiming to rectify the notorious impression that had been generated. He is a true

socialist as well as a researcher with a genuine concern for correctness and precision. He

believes to work for a cause, his every stroke of paint moves with a purpose. he is a simple

person and prefers to be known as a mortal who raise voice for the welfare of a human

kingdom with sparking energy and passion. He target communities that others would hardly

bother and due to this multifaceted nature he got fame in different forums. He is a man of

expressions that utter peace, humanity, morals and hope. His colors and drawings are

revolutionary in spirit depicting patience as well as frustration. His work on freedom

movement is well displayed and mentioned till yet. he is a versatile artist who paints life,

abstracts, calligraphy and history.

Biography

Jimmy Engineer was born in 1954 in Baluchistan (Lorelei), Pakistan. His Parsi family could

not have known then that he would grow up to break all barriers of caste and creed and truly

define multi-ethnicity through his art and altruism. His life story makes a fascinating reading.

He is youngest of three children. He was given a few months to live at age of 6 years when

both his kidneys failed but he fought bravely against this and recovered himself within three

months. Jimmy completed his schooling from St. Anthony’s High school, Lahore, and after a

brief interlude at the Forman Christian College, he spent the next three years at the National

College of Arts (NCA), expanding his creative powers. It was in 1976 that he turned into a

Arif 2

professional painter but his achievements went much beyond his artist’s creativity where he

discovered a deep love for all his fellow beings, specially for the downtrodden. He is blessed

with teachers like Khalid Iqbal and Colin David. He is one of the contemporary artist of

Pakistan. He is among the luckiest people who got love of their family. His daughter consider

him a Hero and said , My father taught me the meaning of love i could never understand what

pain and suffering felt like ,what it really meant he has unimaginable will power which run

out of words to explain". He has a rare ability to communicate with people from all walks of

life. He has more than 2,000 paintings and 1,000 calligraphies of his work exhibited in major

art galleries in over 50 countries.. Even he was never completing his fourth year in college he

covered a garage into studio where he execute paint and exhibit his work. .His parent and

siblings are settled in the US but jimmy has no desire to leave his country .He believes in

country love

"I needed to experience what I believed was happening to mankind, when i returned i

realized that the country needed more human beings not more artists." said Jimmy engineer

.Having suffered `vivid dreams of the India-Pakistan partition’ in his childhood, this 59-year-

old artist has articulated visions in paintings called the ‘Partition’ series. Jimmy, who designed

the stamp to commemorate the Indonesia-Pakistan Economic Cultural Cooperation (IPECC)

in 1991, is a recipient of many awards, including the Sitāra-i-Imtiāz (Star of Excellence) for

art by the government of Pakistan. He walked more than 4,000 kilometers across Pakistan in

1994 to go from village to village, hamlet to hamlet and town to town to interact with people

and know their problems first hand .America offered him residency at the D'jeerarri

foundation of painting .He travelled throughout the state visiting hundred of museum and

galleries. As one of the finest artist of Pakistan he provided solo exhibition based on

conceptual belief and significance feature in the art field. His exhibition offered motivation

and happiness to society. His Ideology of peace is based on 33 paintings on architectural

composition of Pakistan, India, China, Cairo, middle east &countries of central Asia. His

composed ,synchronized and remarkable art work presented at the Consulate General of

Pakistan Dubai UAE December 30, 2008. An excellent solo exhibition Ideology of hope

Organized by South Asian Gallery of Art Ontario Canada in December 13 , 2008. He gave

idea about contrast in his exhibition Cultural Harmony between People of Pakistan and

Arif 3

Thailand. As a man of art, his marvelous achievements are seen in different galleries and

exhibition

Books:

Some very well-known writers wrote books on his life and put light on his work .some of

books are:

Contemporary painting in Pakistan by Marcella Nesom Sirhandi. The big picture - six

decades of painting in Pakistan by tauqīr muhājir and muniza āgha-fawād. Art views -

encounter with artist in Pakistan by Marjorie Husain. In search of my master - jimmy engineer

by Marjorie Husain

Achievements/Awards :

Jimmy Engineer has received several awards for his achievements since 1976. He is probably

the youngest artist to get such success. He is awarded with All-Punjab Cultural Award in 1976

and 1978 and got a Gold Medal in nation-wide Islamic Exhibition in 1978. he got best

performance award in the Fine Arts by the Literary Society of Pakistan (Bazm-i-Shuca-i-

Adab) in 1978 and 1979. he has awarded in National Exhibition and by the Ministry of

Information and Broadcasting in 1981. he got awards from International Cosmopolitan

Rotary Club and by the Human Rights Society of Pakistan and blessed with Life time

achievement award for Humanitarian services. he got The National Award for Minorities in

the Fine Arts in 1983. Waqar-i-Adab, a literary association, presented him with life time

achievement for social work in 2002.

Impressions and Features

Jimmy’s speaking impressions which have the power to move young minds and imbue them

with a renewed sense of dedication for the country, have been exhibited extensively in

Pakistan as well as abroad. His works have never failed to captivate successive generations of

art lovers in Pakistan and abroad. He is a Pakistan artist with a penchant for social work .

Jimmy has undertaken over 150 campaigns to promote awareness for special and

handicapped children and for orphans .He has a special place in his heart for special children.

Arif 4

As an accessory to his social work that came to sit his focal point of his life, Jimmy also talk

of his fascination by all religious. Even though we are separated by cast ,creed, and religious

at birth when it comes to helping are follow being this criteria has to be overlooked and

everybody under the privileged must treated equal.

"I meet jimmy in Lahore and asked him how the artist himself awakened .He said at the early

age of three, he had been interested in fusion and colours .he stared painting with his fingers

instead of brush and used color crayon powder mixed with water to paint. He won 1st prize at

the age of sixteen." said Najmā dhulfiqār cAli.

Jimmy Engineer is a multi-layered artist. His art is not confined to images on canvas as his

canvas extends far beyond all that is material. He prefers to be acknowledged as a simple

mortal who cares for the human kingdom with a passion. That passion has been waging a war

within him for over twenty five years, alternately translating into colored imagery or humane

deeds to support miserable souls.

Vast variety of impressionism we see in his work. He use different medium for his art piece

still life painting, portrait, landscape ,religious, philosophical painting. He does oil painting on

different material such as wood chip board, hard board on large scale ..A totally dedicated he

artist hope to further the awareness of art as a medium of expression and impression .He feel

that art can flourish only if it is promoted by the right kind of people. He hope one day to paint

the struggle and triumph of difference and nation and culture preserving and reacting of the

word on canvas . the vision of the poet is so rich and his imagination so sharp that the jimmy

feel it was relatively easy to transforms it into lines and tins form pottery to painting .Jimmy

Engineer followed his liking to find out significant buildings around the world. Exploring the

temples, towers, palaces and monuments of ancient times, considering inspiration of creating a

freedom to control them all together, predict a world which was complete patience. "My aim

is not to commercialize art but to help speared an awareness to help mankind".-Jimmy

engineer

Installation/Work

His art pieces depict expressions of truth and his image speaks. He has explored and

introduced numerous textures in his works and the amazing versatility is more than evident in

Arif 5

his creations. His work merges all cultures for the common good of his soil. Partition series is

one of impressive series of painting in which he depicts the partition of India 1947 .Facts of

painting illustrate unsettlement, restlessness, domination, agitation where literally hundreds of

figures are visible, all caught up in a violent, heart breaking migration across a nation with

religious argument .All the painting show the huge masses of the refugees moving through the

wilderness on their way to Pakistan. The composition of all these big murals is roughly the

same. They are not close-up studies of group of figures but broad panoramic views in which

the figures are seen from a distance and set in a landscape ,complete with horizon and a broad

band of sky and big tree

Figure. 1: Resting Under a Tree in 1947

In Refugees Resting Under a Tree in 1947,’ a 7ft by 5ft canvas painted in 1977, the eye must

first take in the throng of humanity in motion, each section offering its own small tableau.

First look at the old man being pulled to his feet by a father with a child on his shoulders, the

woman clutching her son, eyes dilated in fright, the wounded man borne in the arms of

another, the man driving his cart determinedly through the crowd. the painting, past this

swatch of land thick with suffering people, to the shadows of thousands more walking behind

where an overburdened train rumbles along the rails. the men dangling from its roof,

determined to join the thousands already clinging to every surface.. He composed this densely

packed milling crowd of humanity into coherent and articulate picture to required much skill

Arif 6

of which the artist has given adequate proof. Apart from perspective, tree are generally rather

poorly painted, except in one case in which a small group of refugees is shown as having

arrived in Pakistan . It is nothing but a huge stain of greenish brown colour which has nothing

tree-like except the jagged edges and some hanging roots. the enormous patch of colour which

almost fills the whole sky above the crowd of men and women has not the slightest likeness to

the foliage of tree. it is just one huge blot of greenish brown colour through which light filters

here and there. He deserve credits for showing such a huge scene of human interruption . The

eye cannot hope to take it all in, in a single glance or even several. Jimmy’s paintings contain

entire worlds

Figure. 2 Painful past: Painting on the Partition

The last painting in the series, begun in 2009, remains unfinished – half drawn figures locked

in conflict, dissolving into a sea of red. Flag of independence 1947,The last burning train of

1947,The struggle for independence, Memories of 1947 partition of India these all one of the

greatest painting of partition series . Later than Jimmy turned his eye to several new subjects,

bringing the same incredible detail to paint inanimate things, specifically his stunning

Architecture series. Here he picked up iconic buildings from all over the world and put them

into one canvas, creating perfectly beautiful mythical cities. The buildings are accurately

Arif 7

reconstructed on paper, right down the rows of bricks and the placement of the windows.

Some of these focus exclusively on classic Pakistani architecture, others suggest more radical

blend and bringing together the mausoleum of the Sultan Balban from India, the funeral

complex of the Kalhora and Tālpur from Pakistan and pairing them with the temple of Angkor

from Cambodia. In some paintings over a dozen dislocated structures share the same space.

Creating the pieces was a matter of getting the balance perfectly right No single building

dominated a piece, instead they existed in harmony, an allegory of multiculturalism set in

stone.

Jimmy’s fierce love for his native land is immortalized in his work. He enlightened his

painting with feeling of love, emotion, harmony and combine all buildings together which

depict artistic visual of his painting.

Figure.3 Pakistani architecture

Architectural painting most importantly removes barriers and make the meeting place useful

and attractive. In Jimmy Engineer architecture paintings, expressions like balance ,rhythm ,

composition, conceptual thoughts behind the painting depict the feeling of artist. Work, color,

scheme and shadow light of painting enhance the magnificence of painting. Inside Pakistani

architecture he execute collage building i.e: Mosque wazīr khan ,merewether memorial tower,

Lohāri Gate , Minār of BādShāhi Mosque, Minār of Muslim Mosque,the Chaburji Gateway,

municipal corporation building, tomb of mir masoom shah sindh .

Arif 8

he painted many masterpieces but personally i like his paintings of Ḥaram Sharif Khāna-i

Kaba, Old fort of Pakistan, Multiple composition of tomb of , Architectural composition and

international architectural composition.

One ambition undertaking was to convey the philosophy of cAlāma Iqbāl "Javīd Nāmah"

through a mural , symbolizing the journey of the poet through the solar system accompanied

by Mulāna Rūmi. His collection of work includes miniature and self-portraits, many of which

are in private collection in Iitaly France ,Switzerland ,Russia, India, China ,England, USA

infact almost in every part of the world . ‘Javīd Nāmah’ ,shows colour and series of Pakistan

Movement, highlighting Muslims migration to their new motherland. He collect appreciation

both nationally and internationally as an imaginative creative artist. He show collage of all

major matters and characterize all civilizations . All feature and situation of key element like

position of priest ,dancing girls, Goddess figures and arrangement of decorative pots fine

settled on canvas. Give peace a chance: is a wonderful painting by jimmy Engineer . This

painting show emotion and feeling and need chance for peace . Color of painting show

expression and mood of painting .This is one of the private collection of jimmy engineer.

Landscape painting

Landscape painting by jimmy show love for his country . The power and beauty of nature

have inspired artists throughout history. At an early age, Jimmy Engineer discovered the

natural world as a source of stimulus and in his paintings he expressed his exhilaration of the

wonders around him, none greater than the moods of the sea.

some of his landscape masterpieces are boats by the sea side (oil on canvas 5 feet * 3feet

inches 1986), the wave(oil on canvas 5 feet *3feet 1991) , boats by river side (oil canvas 2 feet

* 1feet 6 inches 1986), fisher men with boat (oil canvas 3feet*2feet 1987), Hut by the sea(2

feet * 1feet 6 inches 1986) and moon light (oil canvas 1 feet* 8 inches 1985).

Jimmy Engineer is well aware of anatomy of drawing. For him drawing is like creating a

significant motion with the improvement of stability. His pencil sketches are very impressive

and detailed and his clarity of pencil enhance the beauty of objects which look so real.

Miniature work

Arif 9

His miniature work is amazingly tremendous and influential. His oil based painting of

Shāhjahān in his court is a 5 feet * 3feet 6 inches painting. he used amazing colors that

depict the time period of mughals. He painted their jewelry, dressing, features, expressions

very esthetically.

Abstract work

His abstract work has its own significance. his creativities like sun set, colour of heaven,

seeing through, colour of life, feild in colour, my palette, helpless man left great impact on art

history.

 Social Advocate

His desire for social service never detracts him from his artistic performance. His art work

acclaimed nationally as well as internationally. His pioneering effort is intended to capture the

imagination of successive generation of Pakistan for sacrifice and dedication. Jimmy used his

artistic talent to collect charity for different causes . one hundred of his calligraphy paintings

donated to APPNA to benefit Kashmir funds. Jimmy, who has been to Sri Lanka eight times,

says he was last here in 2004 when he organized ‘Fun Camp and Food’ events for an

estimated 700 children at five star hotels across the island. He is a man who walked a great

deal – raising awareness for anti-child labour laws, cancer prevention and promoting peace

between India and Pakistan. (in 1994 his personal record estimated that he walked 4,500 km

in that year alone.) He is generous with his signed prints and used to donate entire sets to

deserving institutions.

Conclusion

The art of vision is to explore what is invisible to others and Jimmy engineer is a seeker of

reality. His factual work of paintings show shadows of the divine perfection uttering stories by

their own selves. He is a man who painted his mind with the brain not with the hand .His style

Arif 10

of painting show formal qualities and every work of him has its own style that looks different

from other. By studying him I found a pure feeling of dedication, affection of faith, sensation

of love and value of unity in myself . While calling him for first time I was confused about

Jimmy's work but after talking to him I found him the most assured and contented person with

his work who made my beliefs more stronger and made me determined for what I am doing in

art history. During our phonic conversations he said to me ," I am no more active in this field

as my hairs getting grey day by day but I want my generations to continue my work aiming to

define social causes by art." He is a concerned person for his society who is well aware how to

portrait a perception of nature through the mask of the soul. During ma research , I went

through many art magazines, scholarly books and internet links. All I found is very less to

elaborate his depth of soul and sacrifices for art world .His exhibitions execute aesthetics and

wonders of our country to other continents .According to my review his composition of each

line, color, stroke, volume, modeling, proportion has conveyed his personal interpretation. He

made me realized that life without purpose is useless. I want to close my reviews about Jimmy

by saying that " his voice of painting will never be silent."

Written by: Amna Arif

Arif 11

Bibliography

Daniel, Smriti. "Jimmy Engineer: Painting the Partition." In Conversation with. Sunday

Times, 18 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.

Adil Ali Khan, and Arshad Mahmood Asma. "Mosaic to Feature Top Pakistani Painter Jimmy

Engineer." Http://newseastwest.com/mosaic-to-feature-top-pakistani-painter-jimmy-engineer/.

N.p., 5 Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

Marjorie, Husain. "Jimmy Engineer’s In Search of My Master."

Http://www.jimmyengineer.com/images/JE_Leafltet.pdf. Pervez Iqbal - BBCL Publications,

27 Jan. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

Marjorie, Husain. "Artviews." Http://www.jimmyengineer.com/books1.html. Fomma, 2005.

Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

Muhajir, Tauqeer, and Komal Tauqeer. "20 Pakistani Painters You Should Know."

Http://www.indusvalley.edu.pk/svmanager/20%20Pakistani%20Painters%20you%20Should

%20Know%20Book%20Launch%20by%20Tauqeer%20Muhajir/. N.p., 11 Oct. 2013. Web.

18 Dec. 2014.

Tauqeer, Muhajir, and Fawad Muniza Agha-. "The Big Picture – Six Decades of Painting in

Pakistan." Publishing Monographs on Our Artists., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

Marcella Nesom, Sirhand. "Contemporary Painting in Pakistan." N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec.

2014.

Website Title: Jimmy Engineer - An artist, a humanitarian from Pakistan. Date Accessed:

December 18, 2014

Website Title: Facebook ,Article Title: Jimmy Engineer - The Son of Pakistan. Date

Accessed: December 18, 2014

Arif 12