Eastern Artistic Expression Under A Western Shadow

It usually goes like this: As you stare at the delicately drawn, full-bodied female figures on the miniature paper, bodies intertwined, your mind, conditioned by a Western-dominated society, begins to draw parallels to the flirtations of godly entities present in mythologies around the world. The energies and auras of the women appear to radiate a cheerful atmosphere as they share a feminine, suggestive gaze. Despite the grace and beauty to be derived from the sensual interaction, further analysis of the watercolor painting suggests a subtle dissonance that the Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikhander intended to highlight in the creation of her piece Intimacy. The true power of Intimacy, compared to the Eastern art generally absorbed by Western audiences, lies in its hidden narrative: a power struggle (or rather, a faltering battle) between cultures, between attitudes in the realm of artistic consumption. This paper seeks to analyze the nuances of Sikhander’s painting and how the artist’s commentary has opened the floor for broader discussion of the homogenization of Eastern (Indo-Persian) visual art at the hands of Western influences.De Lozanne, ArturoArt and Art Histor