Nusra Latif Qureshi was trained at the National College of Art in Lahore, Pakistan, the birthplace of the contemporary neo-miniature movement. Miniature painting, which flourished during the Mughal period (1526–1828) in South Asia, declined following the division of India and Pakistan in the late 1940s. This art form has been revived by artists such as Qureshi, who are trained in traditional techniques but apply them to contemporary subject matter. In Tropic of Capricorn,Qureshi schematizes and isolates traditional symbols of power typically found in miniature paintings, including a throne, an equestrian figure, a horse, and a halo. Their abstraction and dislocation both separates them from their original context and highlights their connection to one another. The map fragment at the bottom right corner of the image also relates these images of power to territorial conquest.
Siyah-qalam, gouache, liquid gold, and gold leaf on wasli paper
Purchased with the Janice Carlson Oresman, class of 1955, Fund
ID Number: SC 2004:4