Three friends and their artistic thoughts

Exhibition at Clifton Art Gallery offers array of art pieces

KARACHI: How would you define the friendship among three friends? What title would you give to a trio’s exhibition that details such friendship?

‘Triptych of Friends’ is perhaps the most befitting title for the exhibition of artworks by Ustad Bashir Ahmed, Saeed Kureshi and Chitra Pritam. The exhibition, showcasing the works of three friends, was put on display at Clifton Art Gallery on Thursday. The show, consisting of 40 pieces of art, will continue till March 1.

Using mixed medium on paper, Ahmed drew his miniatures, bringing to the fore 'Princess in Vanity' and 'Pink Princess'. Besides that, he used acrylic on board to paste the image of 'Heer Ranjha'.



Kureshi's extensive oil on canvas collection was a testament to the regal life of the inhabitants of the Rohtas Fort, when it used to be alight with life. His works were titled 'Baroness of Rohtas', 'Fiery Lass' and 'Squatting Princess' among others. Talking about the 16^th century fort, he said, "I have tried giving it leverage by painting the fort besides enlivening the women's beauty by inculcating their images in my paintings."

For Pritam, his works are dedicated to his hometown, Sanjarpur in Punjab. "You might be viewing my painting as a landscape, seascape or an abstract but it is really a dedication to my hometown of Sanjarpur in Punjab where I belong to,” he said. “Besides, the seascape is a tribute to Karachi and what the seaport city has given to me as an individual.” Using oil on canvas, he created artworks titled 'Farmer at Mustard Field' and 'Two Trees' as a tribute to his hometown. His work pertaining to Karachi was titled 'Resting Boats' and 'Leaving Harbour’.



According to Ahmed, art is thriving in Pakistan. “I see that art has flourished in just about 35 years … [since] the time I began teaching in an arts school.”