Art show: The Loaded Brush: Atawar displays new work

The work is on display at the Lahore Arts Council till November 17.

LAHORE:

‘The Loaded Brush’ consisting of 38 pieces by Rakshanda Atawar went on display at the Lahore Arts Council on November 12. The work will stay on display until November 17.  Atawar, painting for the last 25 years, says the work reflects her ability to work comfortably with dyes and ink on non-absorbent surfaces.

Speaking with The Express Tribune, the artist said the title of the exhibit refers to the heavy use of pigments in her work.

“I sometimes spill a whole bottle of ink. I also like heaping my brush with oils or acrylics before applying it to the canvas. When I work, the acrylics and the ink doesn’t dry out,” she said.

Atawar said she was overwhelmed with the response she received at the opening.

“Many artists, curators and critics at the opening were expecting typical abstract work or landscapes, but were surprised by the distinctive use of oil and dyes. Every day I paint for hours. For the last three years, I have primarily been focusing on polishing my skills with dyes and ink. And I believe I have attained some perfection,” said Atawar, who heads the Fine Arts Department at the National College of Business Administration & Economics (NCBA&E) in Gulberg for the past four years.

“Obtaining skill with colours and mediums is an arduous task. Combinations of inks when gelled together react differently. Sometimes the paper tears. So one has to be careful during the procedure and also be very clear about the kind of result desired,” the artist said.

Atawar had been the principal of Hunerkada, a school of performing and visual arts for beginner artists, for nine years before joining the NCBA&E four years ago. She graduated in 1985 from the School of Fine Arts and Design at Punjab University. She has also held shows in Dubai and Agra and New Delhi in India.

Atawar worked with charcoal and acrylics for years before heading to painting with dyes and inks, about three years ago. “If one has been writing for years, he will manage to convey a lot in very few words. I believe it is the same with painting,” she said.

Art critic Quddus Mirza, who has not yet seen Atawar’s recent work, said that she had developed a niche by painting regularly and rigorously. “Her work is mostly expressionistic and loosely done, but it does make an unusual statement.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2012.