‘Reverence on Nature’ opens to critical praise

Baig captures detailed impressions of landscapes, how light appears on subjects at different times of the day.

“Reverence of Nature” opened on Monday at Gallery 6, a painting exhibition by Matloob Baig that shows the work of a true nature lover at his best.

The artist captures immediate impressions of landscapes in a detailed manner, and studies how light appears on subjects at different times of the day and in different weathers. At times, his canvas tends to have brilliant colours that almost shimmer in their intensity, while at other times they are immersed in mist and fog.

Matloob Baig said he has a lot of respect for nature and paints it with tremendous love. “I have been working on water lilies for the last two years. At Head Qadirabad (on the banks of Chenab River in Punjab), there is a lake which gets covered with hundreds of water lilies during peak season. I have been there in off-season, when I painted dead lilies, and then made paintings when these lilies became alive with flowers blooming all over. Painting these lilies is a magical experience for me as I keep exploring what lies on the water, in the water and beneath the water.”

Matloob has not only painted landscapes, but also human figures in outdoor settings. This exhibition displays six of those works too.

Dr Arjumand Faisal, the curator of Gallery 6 said, “Matloob’s paintings portray his worship for the striking beauty of nature, his admiration of the changing splendour of seasons, his veneration of the sharply silhouetted trees, his honour for the skies, his adulation of filtered or bright sunlight, his glorification of giant clouds and his adoration of multi-coloured lakes – all these are well reflected in an incredible way in his landscapes that are emotional, atmospheric, and romantic.”

Iqbal Hussain, a renowned painter from Lahore, commenting on Matloob’s paintings said, “He is exceptional. I am very positive he is emerging as a young painter of some standard, compared to the gimmickry in the art world going on - more talking rather than painting. I hope he keeps painting honestly and with motivation towards his goal to become a well-known painter.”

The painting exhibition will continue till November 22 from 11 am to 7pm at Gallery 6, House 624, Street 44, G-9/1. It will be closed during the official Eid Holidays.

Matloob did a Masters in Fine Arts from Punjab University in 2000. H has participated in four group shows and held four solo exhibitions since then. This was his first exhibition in Islamabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2010.