before 1959, as a portraitist, he painted the entire afghan royal family. in the early 1960s, he turned to abstract painting. ismail gulgee was a skilled naturalistic portrait painter who had enjoyed (according to partha mitter) "lavish state support" and plenty of elite commissions in this capacity. nevertheless, he was perhaps best known worldwide for his abstract work, which was inspired by islamic calligraphy and was also influenced by the "action painting" movement of the 1950s and 1960s. some people say that elaine hamilton was a strong influence on him. in both islamic calligraphy and action painting, a high value is placed on the unity and energy of gestural flow. gulgee's canvases were often quite large in the tradition of other action painters or abstract expressionists. sometimes he used materials such as mirror glass and gold or silver leaf in his oil paintings. therefore, in fact, they appeared to be mixed media pieces.