"The demise of Ghulam Rasul comes as a national loss to Pakistan. This legendary artist was an institution in his own being," said Syed Jawaid Iqbal, Chairman, Central Institute for Arts and Crafts (CIAC), the pioneer arts and crafts school in Pakistan. Jawaid knew Ghulam Rasul both on personal and professional levels.
Commenting on the late veteran's many personal attributes, he expressed that Ghulam Rasul was not just the master of exemplarity artistic creations and a gifted creative genius, but was also very keen in contributing towards learning of the next generation. "The most distinctive feature of Ghulam Rasul's individual style was his depiction of natural landscapes.
While he is mostly known for his art, Ghulam was a tree lover by heart and his efforts in saving the environment cannot be forgotten. He formed a club named Tree Lovers Club and interacted with young people, environmentalists, communities, and organisations like WWF to help preserve natural environments", added Jawaid while recalling the many aspects of Ghulam Rasul's persona.
Ghulam Rasul, commonly known as GR among his close acquaintances and whose paintings are part of many international collections, obtained his Master's degree from Punjab University, Lahore in 1964. Later he taught art and history at the Punjab University and Northern Illinois University USA from where he achieved an MFA in 1972. One of his many accolades include that he was awarded with the Presidential Pride of Performance Award for Art in 1986.-PR