To a fine art: From cubism to surrealism, seven artists present a diverse and evocative scenario

The most remarkable feature of the exhibition was the variety and diversity.

KARACHI:

Playing with cubist techniques, painter Ali Shah said that he was drawing female faces when, suddenly enthralled by emotions, his hand started painting pigeons.

"I was making female faces, when I was entranced and my hand started creating these pigeons," he said. Inspired by Jamil Naqsh, the artist seems to have sailed on a journey from realism to abstract distortion. His artful distortion provides room for the viewer to explore the different possibilities that one art piece can provide.

Shah's works are on display at the Grandeur Art Gallery along with the works of six other artists. The most remarkable feature of the exhibition was the variety, ranging from conventional expressionism to abstraction and surrealism, all in one place.

The artist's work also reflects spirituality. While talking to The Express Tribune about choosing pigeons as his medium of expression, he said that the birds were symbols of purity, loyalty, beauty and peace. "They are the only birds that descend on the sacred Ka'aba," he said.

Playing with oil on canvas, Shafique Rana engages in a world of religiosity, Islamic art, and calligraphy inscribed on architecture. The glowing sun shining upon the domes in his paintings leads the viewer into the domain of pleasant nostalgia of the golden age of Islamic history. Interestingly, Rana was accompanied by a spokesperson who said that the painter "can only express himself through art and never through words."

Naish Rafi paints beautiful images of traditional women with their heads covered busy with chores such as embroidery or cooking. "I have attempted to depict the simple lives of the poor, rural women," she said. Azra Wahab portrays the inner contentment of the same women in her works. She shows women adorning jewellery and colours with the conventional standards of beauty: the pouting lips, the large eyes and the small, pointed nose. "Focusing on Romanticism, I have painted the moment of happiness that birds, flowers, friends and swings bring for women," she explained.

Spirituality at its best was the theme of Dr Mohsin Nazir's surrealist works. In an intriguing painting, he shows an old man sitting near a hole with a rosary in his hand. The other end of the rosary was inside the black hole and could not be seen. The beads of the rosary coming from the hole to the man were in a proper sequence, while those going from the man to the hole were broken in between. He smiled affirmatively when someone commented that the painting presents a picture of the Marxist notion of the bourgeoisie imposing their ideology on the proletariat through a well-organised channel, showcasing the helplessness of the proletariat.

The ink drawings of Dr Nazir, full of optimism, were fascinating to many viewers. The artful use of colour within the black and white inks depicted positive emotion. For instance, the red heart in the middle of a black and white ink imprints appeared to symbolise an optimistic heart surrounded by the woes of life. "I'm an optimistic person. Why should I not present the world with beauty, especially with violence and sorrows all around?" he asked.

Sumera Saleem was the only female artist who had presented the modern woman, engaging with the concepts of natural beauty of a woman and her strengths. 'Behind the curtains' was a portrayal of a woman with bare shoulders and a face devoid of any makeup or ornaments. "I have just painted my emotion and attempted to present pop art with a modern touch," she said.

Akbar Khan skilfully manipulated lighting effects on his canvases. "I have used tar coal used in roads on these canvases," he said, beaming at his originality and skill. Talking about his many miniature sculptures, he said that he made them because all other artists are doing so.

The exhibition is set to continue till May 25 from 11am to 8pm.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2014.