Portfolio · 1996
Road Lines
Four etchings trace the rhythm of travel: interrupted marks, crossings, parallel lines, and repeated returns.
Date1996
MediumFour etchings printed in black on Arches Cover buff paper with chine collé on handmade Nepalese paper; with text from an Urdu poem by Iqbal
Image5½ × 4½ in. each
Sheet10 × 8 in. each
Edition35, plus two artist’s proofs
ProductionBaskin Art Studios, University of California, Santa Cruz
Across Road Lines I–IV, broken marks climb and bend, gather into crossings, narrow to two verticals, and return as a repeated row. The changing line holds both movement and interruption without describing a single mapped route.
The portfolio is paired with a couplet by Allama Iqbal, reproduced below in its approved Urdu and English wording.
Allama Iqbalکوئی کارواں سے ٹُوٹا، کوئی بدگماں حرم سے کہ امیرِ کارواں میں نہیں خُوئے دل نوازی
One broke away from the caravan; another became disillusioned with the sanctuary, because the caravan’s leader lacked the gift of touching the heart.
Archive sequence
Individual sheets
The four etchings are shown in their established order, with the Urdu text presented as part of the complete sequence.