Distinct flair: Mashkoor Raza celebrates 50th solo exhibition

Work on display at Tanzara till Oct 9

ISLAMABAD: Renowned artist Mashkoor Raza opened his exhibition at the Tanzara Art Gallery on Thursday celebrating 50 successful solo exhibition by the artist.

Raza, who has more than 40 years of painting behind him, not only figures prominently in the world of Pakistani art, but has also exhibited at renowned galleries and museums across the globe.

The artist’s work has a distinct flair, which sets him apart from his contemporaries. He employs a highly developed sense of design, form and colour.



Raza’s canvases combine controlled movement and a play of light that invigorates the women and horses he paints. His forceful strokes, rendition of colour, handling of space and composition come across as a breath of fresh air.

“This exhibition is a continuation of my work over the past 40 years. I feel every artist has a theme that he enjoys working with, and deviating drastically from the theme is not a positive sign for the artist. The painter’s signature style must reflect in his work,” Mashkoor Raza told The Express Tribune.

Raza who has exhibited in USA, Canada, Germany, London, Bahrain, India and Iran, mentioned that he likes using oil on canvas, which is what the entire collection of the exhibition is all about. “I like abstract designs inspired by my own ideas. My work, which is primarily abstract, has some influences such as humans and horses. Some of my work is also influenced by calligraphy,” Raza explained.

The exhibition features a lot of figurative abstracts along with non-representational abstracts and calligraphy. What stands out in Mashkoor’s work is his ability to create transparency with parts of basic designs like circles, squares and triangles. With these common shapes, he displays versatility, which is rather unique in terms of paint, subject and composition.



Not only does his work display immense passion for art, but also patience to experiment with different colours, shapes and forms of art.

Tanzara Curator Noshi Qadir said Mashkoor is an exceptional artist whose work has been exhibited across Pakistan and abroad and Tanzara Gallery considers it a privilege to have the artist’s work on display.

The exhibition will continue till October 9.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th,  2015.