The paintings of the Karachi based artist, AS Rind, seem to be a favorite with gallery owners; perhaps that is why hardly after a month’s lapse Rind’s exhibition will again be on display in federal capital.
Born in Rahim Yar Khan, and settled in Karachi, A S Rind’s art is frequently exhibited here because it comprises all the art ingredients to attract art lovers with pocket friendly prices. On Friday, over 40 paintings were put on display, most of them tinted with acrylic paints on the walls of Tanzara Gallery. Rind had previously participated in more than 40 group shows in Pakistan and abroad and has nine solo shows to his credit that were held in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
Rind draws inspiration for his paintings from the poetry of Ghalib, Faiz Ahmad Faiz and other prominent poets. He makes use of bright colours and most of his paintings display painted female faces and figures on the canvas.
Having qualified in the Fine Arts from the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, Karachi in 1988, he worked in super realism till 1993, and thereafter, tried his hand at impressionism, cubism, as well as abstract style of painting. In 1988, he worked on Quaranic calligraphic paintings, and drew world famous mosque in them and also introduced a new typeface. Of special interest to art lovers has been his successful experiment of using colors to give effects of his embossing and carving to his paintings.
The year 2003 brought him back to the figurative style, with his work reflecting heavily the faces and moods of the women of his homeland of Rahim Yar Khan, adorned elegantly with ethnic jewelry in all its distinctive styles. It can be said fairly that his work carries a strong cultural influence of his area, as his paintings are certainly and deeply influenced by the regional aesthetics, splendor, colors, and motifs. Often, he has used verses of Faiz to emphasize the mood and expressions of the stylized women he paints. His paintings of this period are mostly either in acrylic or mix media.
He has held many solo exhibitions so far, besides participating in numerous group exhibitions. He has also been commissioned to work for international financial institutions. His work is displayed in galleries all over Pakistan.
Rahim Yar Khan is situated on the fringe of the Rajasthan desert that must have swallowed many an undisclosed narrative of thousands of generations is tempered by both the color as well as the hardships of the desert.
AS Rind, when he traveled from Rahim Yar Khan has done more than just survive. In the twenty two years since he started painting, which includes his work as a student, he has come up with two one man shows. In these shows he has demonstrated his urge to experiment and for ever try and final new answer to creative questions. According to his own statement he has tried super Realism, which continued till 1993, after wards he tried his hands hand at impressionism, cubism, and the abstract. In 1988, he worked on some Quaranic calligraphic paintings and introduced a new typeface.
But the sounds and smells and colours of his home town were forever hauntingly present in his subconscious. He has returned to them through the paintings in the present collection. The jewelry and designs are gentle reminders that a son of the soil; has come back to announce his heritage and even though there has been an effort to stylize the figures and enhance the design element, the colors claim a distant relationship with the desert.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Tanzara Gallery’s owner Noshi Qadir said Rind’s canvases are rich with traditional legacy of the Rajisthani desert. “He exhibits a natural exuberance in his paintings by using a rich colour palette and a strong focus on design and pattern bring about pictorial richness to his work,” she said.
Noshi said Rind skillfully stylizes the women he paints, with strong sweeping strokes and adorns the canvases with motifs that trace ethnic patterns. The women appear long necked, voluptuous and wide eyed; often with puckered lips and embellished elegantly with traditional ornaments.
“The parrot, rose and fish often emerge, creating an aura of romance and mystery. Occasionally Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s verses appear to enhance the romance and mystique to his paintings,” Noshi observed.
