The impressive paintings portraying Tassaduq Sohail's rich imagination converting his canvases amusingly unusual with surreal art overwhelm the visitors at Fine Art Pakistan gallery, Karachi. Tassaduq has been a practising professional for over five decades and amalgamating power of people and animals on canvas has now become an identity for him.
It is praiseworthy that at such a ripe age of above 80 years and with a blur vision as he is losing his sight slowly he is painting with same fervour and zeal as ever before. The glimpses of animal and plants or the human form especially females can be seen in all of his works. It is a surreal world where the natural world holds a new and different meaning.
His strong expression depicts his strong sense of colours and an aura of antiquity. His creativity with paints is highly commendable each colour blending with other like a rainbow where no single colour can be distinguished from other by a definite line. He shows versatility of handling subject, paints and composition. The brilliant and exceptional use of colours from brown, blues, green, red and ochre gives the paintings a unique and fresh look.
Tasaduq uses numerous symbols in his work specially women for beauty and elephant for power. He discovers his thoughts in paintings and that's why the world Tassaduq paints is between fact and fantasy. His paintings show a peaceful environment where humans and animals live in harmony. One can see a landscape teeming with humans and beasts.
The subjects of his paintings are somber showing characters in bold and bright colours. Animals and human figures appear together in his work symbolising human bond with the nature.
His work is almost in miniature style, painting fetching details on minute canvases. The work is descriptive, adding a surreal touch to his work and makes a painting more than just an image. He creates vivid texture, which discuses human psychology and emotions in detail.
The exhibition also includes artworks of three other artists in a group show - Chitra Pritam, Wasi Haider and Azimullah Babar. All of them are quiet scenic and sensational in their own way. Chitra Pritam's bold colours combination and fine strokes capture the natural beauty of a sea in seascape and diverse presentation of Buddha in the recent exhibition. Each of his painting is in search of beauty through colours, form and light.
For him prior to every thing is drawing. With strong drawing lines, his paintings are attractive from a distance as well. His strokes are very, careful and calculated his hand handles the brush like a delicate instrument. He believes that a colour should not feel lonely on canvas it should be at its proper place.
In the current paintings, he has created shapes and shadows, surfaces, layers and depths, simply by using lines of specific character required to create such impression that makes a portrait, a seascape come alive. He portrays the lives of fishermen, their activities at the harbour, their joys and sorrows, their arrival and departure.
Chitra used to paint in great detail, this is especially apparent in his boat and seaside scenes. The forms of the boats are very carefully and minutely depicted and the people full of life fill his seascape with life.
He is passionate about Buddha. His Buddha paintings proved to be a rich source of inspiration. The compositions of his paintings give viewers an intimate closeness with the Buddha's teachings. Figure of Buddha appears on the canvas, highlighted by bright festive colours. He has captured Buddha in various moods, actions and the traditional roles.
Wasi Haider is experimenting art for the past many years, his inner urge to do more and to discover something leads him to do so. This time he has chosen the subject of classical musical instruments, each painting is done in mosaic style with a well done portrait of a female dancing on the tune of music or practising the classical musical instruments like Sitar, Ektara and Tabla. Through his paintings he tried to link artistically the present generation with the past traditional music.
Also the paintings truly reflect the traditional style and mood of the music once dominated our culture. The images of the female figures are very significant as music is also a form of art. One can see not only the physical position of the figures but also feel the depth of their soul for the love of music.
The paintings are vividly coloured against the monotone backgrounds, something that indicates his mood which is refreshing and appealing. The brilliant shades of colours enhance the core idea of the canvases.
Not long ago some years back Wasi paid tribute to a number of senior artists who are remembered due to their unique style and work under the title 'Legends of Pakistani Art' in a series of twenty five paintings showing respect to great artists of past and present. His paintings reveal the artworks of these artists along with their portraits in large scale canvases.
Azimullah Babar paints bold and colourful landscapes with various characters and symbols defining a story to the viewer. Through his paintings he portrays an imaginary world of his own. His works depict a way of life bathed in glowing colours a fantasy world where everything seems possible. The amalgam of modernity and symbolism provides a beautiful synthesis of creativity.
The exquisite work full of figures revealing emotions, moods and expressions speak for his command over the content and technique. His work is descriptive. You can see countless figures appearing on the canvas at the same time. The paintings show voluptuous women figures, beasts, fishes and tall buildings in the background in bright hues.
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