Inspired by various scripts of calligraphy Riaz Rafi has acquired his own personal style over the years, which has now become his signature due to its unique and individualistic qualities. He was one of the artists at a group exhibition held at Citi Art Gallery, Karachi.
Modern mode of calligraphy appeals him more. He draws and paints the words freely and creatively without strictly following the traditional styles. He renders Arabic words in impulsive gestures. He uses beautifully words mixed with vibrant colours to create new tones emerging and submerging into each other. His colours are bold and his strokes are free flowing. He creates harmonic calligraphies with divine words and lines balancing bold strokes and strong hues. The bursts of colours dominated by yellow and orange dissolves appear and disappear into each other thus creating a rhythm in composition.
Roaming in Mughal era through A Q Arif paintings was a pleasant experience. The images of diverse and contrasting environments are juxtaposed in one space showing the work of exceptional architectural heritage of Pakistan. He portrays each building with every possible feature that brings his paintings almost real giving a feeling of actually being there.
His work gives the sight of the place as well as insight of our heritage. He manipulates colour and structure bringing out a traditional form with a true image on a canvas.
His motifs and architectural forms filled with hues of ochre and blue with a touch of green, red and yellow. Strategically the images of heritage sites in few paintings are done in a single colour - ochre and blue to enhance the luminosity of surface. Colour serves as a basic element and enhance the texture of symbolic patterns.
Maqbool Ahmed combines figurative, cubism and surrealistic work in a single painting and the outcome is brilliant. His powerful brush strokes paints layers after layers creating reflection of images in images.
His work is conceptual portraying social issues regarding women. Soft and enlightened female images unveil emotional and intellectual dilemmas of women. The figures in his paintings convey complex realities of life.
With casual elegance mostly faceless female figures make statements through their silence, engaging viewers in a dialogue. The women in his paintings are connected with each other in an unseen thread, a deep feeling which only they share.
Mehtab seems to be much inspired by the heritage of Mohenjodaro. He relates today's woman with an old civilisation of Mohenjodaro in his paintings. He got attracted by the fabulous lifestyle of those ancient times. Therefore he decided to highlight our relationship to the past He has done figurative descriptive paintings to enhance the importance of heritage in our lives.
The object and the subject diffuse with each other in his paintings creating an aura of mystery between past and present. The bull, dancing girl, Priest King and ancient scripts are symbolically used in the background of the paintings showing a connection of the present world with the past.
Expressions, emotions and Nature are the focus of Inam Raja's figurative paintings. The works are sensual; the flowing lines perceive the connection of Nature to our bodies and minds.
His work is reflective and sensitive. The striking compositions of paintings depict women lost in this degenerated world losing their identities and becoming a part of this social system, living their scattered lives unwillingly but nature is the only escape for them from this grim situation where they find solace.
His skills can be judged by the diversity of images, colours and confident strokes in his paintings while bold and sharp lines in his drawings. He renders emotions and fervour with fresh and unique compositions which are skilfully created.
All the artists at the exhibition show unique and individualistic styles of their own in their artworks.
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