‘Paintings from the heart and not just the brush’

Self-taught artist Erum Ashfaq’s exhibition opens at Shakir Ali Museum today.

LAHORE:

A year ago, self-taught artist Erum Ashfaq had displayed 35 paintings of old mansions of Bhera at the Shakir Ali Museum. Many artists had encouraged her to document historical sites from other cities too.

On March 8 (Friday), Ashfaq’s new work, Expressions of Feelings, open at the Shakir Ali Museum. The 33 paintings reflect the cultural heritage of four cities and rural landscapes of Punjab.

Ashfaq, who holds a master’s in economics and works for the World Bank, travels extensively across the Punjab for her job. “Many artists are in awe of the Walled City and other historical structures in Lahore and nearby. Very few have ventured deep into the Punjab.

There are some beautiful old buildings, built during the colonial times or earlier. I travelled to Kasur, Chiniot and Gujrat to take the pictures,” she said.



The shrine of Shah Burhanuddin in Chiniot, Mubarak Haveli of Nawab Muzaffar inside Delhi Gate in Lahore, the 19th century Rajput building in Gujrat and the Umer Hayat Mahal in Kasur are some of the buildings captured in acrylic. There are also five landscapes, with a focus on shadow and light effects.

Explaining the title of her exhibition, Ashfaq said she tried to show her soul in her paintings.

“An artist’s inner feelings reflect in her work. The paintings come from my heart and not just from the brush,” she said.

The work took Ashfaq a year to complete. The pieces, priced between Rs12,000 and Rs35,000, will remain on display for two weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2013.