Among the many beautiful things that Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho has penned is his praise for dance as being “one of the most perfect forms of communication with infinite intelligence.”
What role does the art of painting play in expressing that quality and meaning of dance?
That question sprang to my mind when I saw a Facebook post by Pakistani-American artist Sardar Aziz about his work titled “Tribal at Heart.”
Without wasting a minute, I rushed to Alexandria’s Art League Gallery, where he was displaying the work as part of an exhibition.
Here was a life-size portrait garnishing the gallery, and arresting the attention of visitors – a creative work to fire the imagination. A woman full of energy, smile, pride with a glint in her eyes, and perhaps more importantly being conscious of her artistic talent – a lady in red and blue, with red color symbolizing the vigor of life against a mysterious background.
An artist or a painter can capture a particular moment of dance and with it convey a sea of meanings, I thought to myself.
“Tribal at Heart is part of my painting series called Rhythm. I’m painting different dancers from all parts of the world,” Aziz, who recently got coverage in a leading arts magazine, said.
The painting is an image of the actual dancer that Aziz and his wife Jamie, a documentary maker, have known.
“The rhythm and harmony along with the grace and perfection of movement of dancers are honed through such strenuous practice that it becomes a part of their everyday existence,” Aziz added, pointing to the way the dancer conducted herself.
That was it. I did not want Aziz to offer any more illustration of his work. I wanted to read it myself.
The beauty of a work of art remains hidden and yet it can be visible to a discerning eye. That seemed to be the case with Tribal at Heart.
What does the tribal mean here? A primitive beauty, a pristine glory of dance as an art form, the art itself and the pride of an independent woman, an artist, a performer with a passion, glamour, or simply a tribal beauty?
Artist and juror, Avis Fleming had also some warm praise for the work.
The venue, the Art League, located in the mesmerizing Old Town Alexandria, is a place of colors and creativity that lends more liveliness to the exhibitions it hosts.
But it was the painting and its title that invited me to interpret its meanings as these days people tend to refer to things tribal as being out of tune with time, a thing of the past, and associate the tribal ways with all sorts of negative meanings.
Not so with the Tribal at Heart work or the person in it. I will stop here and let readers and visitors see for themselves the captivating work and the curiosity and a sense of the pride in the eyes of the dancer.
