It is the third exhibition at Gallery Louvre since it entered the race of displaying art to the art lovers of federal capital. And it is perhaps the best so far. It is the exquisite contemporary artwork of duo from two cosmopolitan cities, Ali Karimi from Lahore and Khusro Sabzwari from Karachi. Sabzwari has exhibited their unique art with diverse medium on canvas.
Art lovers will see the work of these two artists, titled ‘Behtay Rang’ for the first time in Islamabad that is all about controlling flow of extremely diluted colours on canvas. “Both the artists have controlled their painting techniques, but their work is different altogether as far as medium is concerned. Khusro’s abstract work carries his expertise of colour combination through the use of acrylic paints, while Ali Karimi, his much younger comrade, develops figures by using a single colour in oils,” said Syeda Alina Saeed, curator and co-owner of Gallery Louvre. Saleem Lalani, commenting on the work of both the artists in his typical English accent, said that Khusro Sabzwari, a seasoned artist with over 35 years of experience, recreated the beauty of nature with deep vibrant colours in thin acrylics while the young talented, Ali Karimi, developed figures with a challenging technique in oils shared the experience of this unforgettable flows of colours with the people.
The multi-hued feathers of the enchanting peacock, the vibrancy of colourful flowers and beautiful birds in Sabzwari’s artworks disclose the fact that the artist derives his inspiration from the beauty of nature. Artworks titled ‘Fascination’, ‘Shadows Enlighten’, ‘Serene Reflections’, and ‘Cherry Blossom’ reflect the message of the artist that humans should take collaborative measures to protect the environment.
Vibrant colours and fascinating abstract in Sabzwari’s canvases are not merely stunning decorative art pieces, but the artist through his work has highlighted the effects of global warming and pollution while demonstrating the need for immediate measures to counter climate change. The artist is an engineer by profession but an artist at heart.
“The extraordinary gift of clairvoyance runs into my blood,” said Sabzwari whose paintings depict the reality of his dreams. “When I throw colours on my canvas, shapes emerge in my mind and I manoeuvre my brush so that the colours can assume beautiful forms and shapes” reflected the artist, with more than three decades of experience.
Ali Karimi, an artist from National Collage of Arts (NCA), Lahore has adopted a unique style of painting by using paints of oil medium. He dilutes a single oil colour to almost a consistency of water and then uses the tricky medium to develop figures, faces and expressions through the drops of colours. “I use a lone colour because scientifically our memories and our dreams are of single colour; the colours we see in them are the colours we want to see. I want to give that freedom to the people who appreciate my paintings, they can fill them with any imaginary colour they want to,” said the artist elaborating his work. His latest artwork includes paintings of women in different postures as well as abstract art forms titled ‘Optimism in Blue’ and ‘The Earth Before’. His paintings are a breathless combination of romance, beauty, expressions and technique; all executed in a single colour. “The romance in your life is always your best memory, but when we visualise the memories they always seem watery, that’s what I try to paint.” The exhibition ‘Behtay Rang’ will continue at Gallery Louvre (House No 8, Street 41, F-6/1) till November 19.
