Artists are finely attuned to the shockwaves of violence that afflict humanity. One of the most iconic works of 20th century art remains Pablo Picasso’s monumental painting Guernica (1937), which mourned and commemorated the bombing of the town of Guernica in northern Spain by Germany and Italy in 1937.

Art depicting conflict can mediate between our revulsion of death and our need to comprehend pathos occurring on a vast scale. Brushstrokes, like words, have agency to create a liminal space of thoughtful retreat, where horror that is too grand for emotions to process may be mitigated. Such works provide a holding space for us to recalibrate our moral and psychological compass. Quddus Mirza’s recent solo show at Canvas Gallery is a case in point.

Under the simple title ‘New Works’ are gathered nine large oil paintings and three smaller sketches. ‘New’ could equally and ironically apply to the turmoil the world has been plunged into since the razing of Gaza and the start of the Iran war.

Mirza provides a pithy artist’s statement for his work: “A perception in paint of the world in and around us.” With the two prepositions “in” and “around”, he simultaneously connects our subjective........

© Dawn (Magazines)