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-yearold 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-iAdab) 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