PESHAWAR, April 13: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government would support artists in every way possible because art depicts the mind of an artist and society, NWFP Education Minister Maulana Fazl-i-Ali said here on Tuesday.
Speaking at the inauguration of a week-long art and calligraphy exhibition at the Khana-i-Farhang, Iranian Culture Centre, he said Islamic history was replete with examples of artists who depicted their Islamic period through their masterpieces of art and calligraphy.
The paintings and calligraphic items, the creation of the students of Khana-i-Farhang, portray the culture and life in Pakistan and Afghanistan. About 20 art students have participated in the exhibition.
Most of the students belonging to Afghanistan have shown the life and culture of Afghanistan. Meena, an art student at the Khana-i-Farhang, said she was eight years old when she had to migrate from Afghanistan to Pakistan due to war in Afghanistan.
She has depicted the destruction of her homeland and insecurity the women of Afghanistan feel besides portraying the life of a homeless Afghan in one of her portraits. The folklores are also depicted through the paintings while the Quranic verses are beautifully displayed through the calligraphic pieces.
Haji Ahmed, a deaf and dumb art student, has displayed his art pieces depicting various colours of life in Afghanistan. The art students have displayed their portraits, paintings and calligraphic items in oil, water and pastel colours.
Some of the students have also made portraits of men, children, women, horses flowers and other items with colour and lead pencils. "We have depicted our feelings through this art. We saw turmoil in Afghanistan and we have put it on the canvas," Fatima, another artist, said.
Raees-us-Saadat, the Director-General of Khana-i-Farhang, congratulated the art teachers and their students on their magnificent works which are displayed in the exhibition.
