More than a painter: Book on landscape artist Khalid Iqbal launched

Speakers suggest renaming PNCA art gallery after him

ISLAMABAD: To pay tribute to renowned landscape painter Khalid Iqbal, the Pakistan National Council of the Arts organised the launch of his book and an exhibition of his paintings at the National Art Gallery on Wednesday.

“His love for nature and dedication to arts can be judged through his work which speaks for itself,” said PNCA Director General Jamal Shah while addressing the book launch.

Recounting the time he spent under the tutelage of Iqbal, Jamal said, and “He [Iqbal] wanted me to concentrate on paintings more than my other passions

Dr Munawwar Ahmad, who wrote the book ‘The Marvel that is Khalid Iqbal’, said that it was a tribute to his teacher. “He was not only a painter or a teacher, but a superb human being who took care of his students,” he said.

Iqbal has extensively contributed to the art world through his landscape paintings.

Director, Visual arts, PNCA, Mussarat Naheed Imam said Khalid Iqbal is a modernist and a realist in the genre of landscape painting in Pakistan. His focus is mostly on the essential and the ordinary. He used to give equal importance to three grounds, the foreground, the middle and the back ground.

Misbahuddin Qazi, a former director at PNCA, shed light on Iqbal’s humanitarian approaches. Qazi said that Iqbal used to take care of his student not only professionally but also helped the deserving students financially.

Qazi suggested that the gallery in PNCA should be named after the painter.

Following the book launch, an exhibition of Iqbal’s works was held.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2017.