Paintings of yesteryear: Celebrating the forgotten art of watercolour

Artists AQ Arif and MA Bhatti display their works at Ocean Art Galleries

KARACHI: In recent times, watercolour has been thriving globally in the art world. In Pakistan, however, the opposite is true as artists today seem to be more inclined towards oil paint or acrylic on canvas.

Breaking from the mould, the watercolour works of two artists, AQ Arif and MA Bhatti, are on display at the Ocean Art Galleries.

The watercolour exhibition, 'Splendour of Watercolour', ranged from portraits to landscapes and though Bhatti is currently out of the country, Arif was readily available for an interview at the gallery.

Arif, who graduated from the Karachi School of Arts in 1996, had always toyed with watercolour as an artist. However, he was caught up in the hype of new trends when most Pakistani artists switched over to new mediums and let go of his first love to use oil and acrylics on canvas. "Watercolour paintings used to [be popular] way back in 1968; people used to go to the fisheries area and colour it on the spot," explained the artist while talking to The Express Tribune. "However, within a couple of years the trend declined, only to be picked up in recent times. I still go to the fisheries area and paint. It's very challenging, though good, work. It requires a lot of practice and your brush strokes need to be perfect to create the perfect piece."  Arif currently has 30 paintings on display at Ocean Art Galleries. The paintings cover a variety of topics, from detailed depictions of Lahore's Aitchison College to the sweeping glory of Pakistan's northern areas and busy marketplaces in Quetta.



While talking about the exhibition of watercolour paintings at Ocean Art Galleries, owner Khalil Ahmed said, "Many artists have turned away from watercolours and have gone towards acrylics or oil on canvas. Fewer exhibitions are taking place that give watercolours a chance to be exhibited here in the country. Globally, the trend of using watercolours must be thriving but not here in Pakistan."

Ahmed pointed out the likes of artists such as Zaheem Ahmed, Ghalib Baqir, Abdul Hai, Athar Jamaal, Sarfraz Musawir, Moazim Ali and Ali Abbas, who, ages ago, left footprints on the sands of time of water-colouring in Pakistan.

The exhibition ends on Monday, November 14.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2016.