Contemporary realism

Artists have always been keen observers of nature's flora and fauna. It is the on-the-spot plein-air painting that yields works that are striking and spontaneous; resonating with artist's eye, the confluence of light with the landscape's foliage, seems to move in sync with the artist's perception. These are the ecstatic moments of the painter's empathy that transform sensitive nuances of the ever changing montage as the sun traverses westwards.
Aesthetically interesting visuals of lush vegetation, streams and ponds inevitably become any artist's subjects of fond observation, interpretation and painting. Nevertheless, some painters intentionally take a different course of visual discernment and choose subjects that may have been overlooked by most artists.
Rukhe Neelofer Zaidi belongs to the clan of bohemian artists who continue to tread unexplored regions of expressive painting - a daunting domain where light bolsters the objects' characteristics unleashing exotic visual dynamics.
Zaidi takes advantage of these dynamics to unravel her cerebral understanding of the complexities of how light echoes around objects producing a myriad of colours. Her recent exhibition of acrylic on canvas paintings at the VM Art Gallery, Karachi portrayed her unique perception of nature while manifesting diverse handling of the water-based medium.
A feeling of depth in any painting, landscapes in particular, is vital to the overall impact and requires soulful perspective and meticulous deployment of tints. The gradual attenuation of light and form as the elements recede obligates on-the-fly speedy calculation by the artist.
Zaidi tends to absorb spontaneous imagery which she immediately perpetuated on to the canvas in her favorite acrylic medium. The quick drying nature of acrylics requires an equally fast application to achieve the desired modeling while maintaining the natural vibrancy of the medium.
Some of the patent characteristics that were obvious in the artist's work were selection of composition, appealing rearrangement of elements, evaluation of light, discernment of hues and a preferred sequence of layered application.
In the wake of her varied experiences in several painting genres and techniques, Zaidi has evolved a distinctive vocabulary to decipher composite visual montages into tangible forms. While she interweaved her interpretive inventory with that of the observed subject, she managed to portray the true spirit of, ostensibly, a mundane assemblage of trivial elements.
With a subtle seasoning of contemporary nuances Zaidi's paintings reflected traditional realism, which granted her work a distinguished outlook; a unique signature, and foretells the onset of a brand new genre.
Obsessed with the desire to demystify the enigma associated with dispersion of light from objects, particularly the viridian vegetation and flowers, Zaidi captured her subjects with unflinching interpretation. She freezes the moments of colour transition which altered at the speed of light, mostly unseen by even some of the most observant artists. The generous contrasts, essentially built with colour values, without resorting to intense chiaroscuro, gave her paintings a striking translucence and a soft and luminous atmosphere.
In a milieu of growing psycho-social frustration that stems from the rapidly shrinking resources and dwindling patience in a globalized unipolar world, Zaidi chose to instill serenity amongst masses through her lively paintings. Tenderly, she ushered the audience into nature's microcosm that was so lovingly depicted in her paintings - a guaranteed vicarious excursion into the dominion of hidden visual treasures. This is where serenity and peace converge on the canvas to materialize Zaidi's objective of giving the audience a soothing respite from melancholy and world weariness.
Floral foliage and leafy herbage have always attracted artists through the ages. Inspired by some of the old masters such as Claude Monet, Zaidi trained her eye to observe the world around her in all its simplicity and raw existence. Her magical touch of prismatic expression stemmed from the primary arsenal of carefully selected colours that she deployed to depict her soulful observations. The palette that she used was geared to charge the canvas with brilliant vibrancy, achieved through skillful choice of contiguous colours. The resultant effect gave a unique luminosity and freshness to her paintings, a characteristic that has almost become the artist's hallmark!
A distinguished alumnus of the College of Art and Design, Punjab University, Lahore, Zaidi holds Masters of Fine Arts degree (Painting) first class 1st, with gold medal. She has also done Post Graduate Certificate in Professional Development from the College of St Marks and St. John, University of Exeter, UK, and was an observer at the certificate in Professional Studies in Education (Bradford University). Zaidi has exhibited extensively nationwide and abroad and has won numerous awards and profuse accolade.