Using creative imagination and skills the artists manifested their concerns towards society in their paintings exhibited in a group exhibition at Grandeur Gallery, Karachi. The paintings by the artists Shahnaz Adamjee, Saleem Bhopali and Muhammad Hashim Khan reflected social responsibility. Characterized by pure and simple expressions each painting has symbols and details showing the powerful thinking of the artists through which they discussed issues emanating from their personal life experiences.
Exploring current socio-political upheavals that are affecting women Shahnaz Adamjee's paintings are a reflection of a woman's emotional response to the world she lives in. The images of women as shadows in thick layers of colours showed how women live complex and influential lives. Her feelings, ideas and impulses are repressed and continued to influence their thoughts and behaviour.
Many times the calamities both man-made and natural damage and destroy not only the physical structures of mortar and wood but also the inner instinctive awareness and emotions of women.
Pleasantly delicate and understated her paintings depicted sensitive issues close to the heart of a woman. Her emotions flow in her paintings intense, sensitive and compassionate thus representing women in an effective manner.
Capturing rare moments of life, love and nature with the compositions having good understanding of colours, lights and shadows Saleem Bhopali portrays Mughal era very beautifully in his paintings.
Depicting the glory of Mughal era Saleem more glorify his works with a chromatic touch. Fine lines and soft colours provide a tender and sympathetic vision of that era. The portraits of the Great Mughals alongside dancing girls with hookahs and other stereotypical scenes of the decadent east dominate his work. Beautiful women engage in various chores and other leisure activities charm his paintings. The typical Mughal style background and decorations and cool colours are part of his compositions.
The paintings are recording of court life, royal portraits, exotic flora and fauna, and hunting and garden scenes especially portraying women. Some of the paintings have seascape with Mughal style boats like a battle scene. He mainly painted the beauty of that era the beautifully designed clothes, attractive windows, lush green gardens and a happy lively life.
Muhammad Hashim Khan's beauty of imagination attracts art lovers. Making pleasing combination of fantasy and reality he romanticised his paintings of women with a pinch of sobriety. He usually paint faces of women in pairs or group rather than lonely women. He portrays shared feelings and experiences of women as their big beautiful eyes are shut like day dreaming, thinking of a life which they want to live.
They deal with same circumstances and situations and thus share a same life in different context. From their head scarves to their face expressions they share everything. The bold background colours depicts their brave souls that endure hardships yet stand with each other giving helping hand to one another although physically they are weak but morally they are strong and had the will to stand in front of any storm that will try to sweep them away. They share their weakness to empower them and become each others inspiration. Thus each artist used creative imagination and factuality to convey their thoughts and experiences. nadeemzuberi71@gmail.com