Mughal miniature painting, popular in India’s Mughal Empire from the 16th century to the 19th century, is an exacting practice. When the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan, began training artists in the techniques, aspiring miniaturists were taught how to grind pigments from minerals, how to make brushes that are sometimes whisper thin, how to make paper, and how to shape narrative with meticulous detail and jewel tones.

“Illuminated Geographies: Pakistani Miniaturist Practice in the Wake of the Global Turn” at Tufts University Art Gallery spotlights four artists who learned Mughal miniature painting at the National College of Arts, and who have since settled outside of Pakistan and expanded upon the form to make nervy, contemporary work.