ART FACTS: Reflections of the soul

Professor Rahat Naveed Masud's desire to explore spirituality in visual art leads her to the PhD thesis. 'Materialising the spiritual in contemporary painting in Pakistan an artist's exploration of figurative art and Sufism", which shows her deep interest in the subject. A highly intellectual theme but she rendered it with a contemporary awareness and vision, exploring the existence within creativity.
Rahat Masud has keen involvement in figurative art and Sufism from the beginning of her career. She is associated with art through teaching for thirty years. At present she is principal, College of Art and Design, University of the Punjab where she teaches painting, drawing and history of Muslim Painting.
After acquiring her PhD degree from Kingston University, London in 2010 Rahat Masud greatly feels the importance of expressing herself through spiritual paintings. And she strongly proves her point of view regarding spirituality in her recent series titled 'Ishq' at Artscene Gallery, Karachi. She has worked against the common perceptions and reservations related to woman portraiture artist. She is a Muslim woman painter who expresses herself through human figures.
Her paintings reflect the inner feelings of a person, describing the most passionate form of love, which Sufis have experienced and thus trying to make a clear concept to the viewers. The aesthetic appeal of her artworks shows her attraction in Sufism. Her impressions depict the inside of a person who under goes different experiences in life her human figure's face and gestures truly reflects the connection between the body and the soul.
The paintings speak loudly to the viewers about the hidden and revealed love for creator. She present different things and objects symbolically in her work such as gold for purity and permanence, flower for good omen and moth for serving and dying in the true path.
The rich composition and design of her artworks accompanied by luminosity of gold leaf and gold colour with various hues and tones gives a significant touch to her paintings.
She describes her perspective in a very formal way through colours. I was amazed to see her command on colours selection, blending and applying. The way she paints the human figures in the exact natural skin tone is marvellous. Some times the female figures look if they will start moving coming out of the trance leaving the state of detachment and become the part of ongoing life.
This series is a search to gain an insight into man's inherent need for spirituality. The paintings are actually comments which raise questions about the subject as well as made people to ponder and see various states of mind. Her body of work conveys deeper concerns towards people who detached themselves from the surrounding and live in the world of their own - a spiritual world.
The human figures along with other symbolic drawings in the painting become a viable form of expression for Rahat Masud. Her works utter everything in the form of symbols but do not dialogue with the viewer directly. Her representational motifs such as clouds, vegetation, flowers, lamp and cage and the ceramic tiles which are used in shrines and tombs of Sufis along with human figures enhance the inner feelings of her subject signifying love and destruction. The selection of colours like white and blue symbolise purity and heavens.
There were two self portraits by the artist 'the lifting of the veil' (silver leaf and oil on canvas) and 'Beyond the realm' (gold leaf and oil on canvas). Both the paintings show a new light, a fresh start, a better future which brings a message of hope and happiness attained by spirituality.
Moreover, Rahat Masud has been honoured by Fatima Jinnah National Award for meritorious services in the field of painting in 2007. She is a gold medallist attaining first class first position in M.A. Fine Arts, University of the Punjab in 1976. Her art papers were also published in leading art journals.
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