KARACHI: In art time and space matter as much as nature or anything related to socio-cultural issues faced by man on a regular basis. Time indicates the epoch in which artists set their work while space signifies the milieu where their subjects exist. And when the subject is the female figure with all her aesthetic charm and romantic appeal, the magic of art becomes doubly delightful.

An exhibition of senior artist Khalid Saeed Butt’s latest body of work titled ‘Ragniyan’ is under way at the Art Scene Gallery. The viewer might find the setting a bit yesteryear, but the protagonists in the artist’s work are not hard to recognise. Despite the fact that they appear as having inalienable historicity to their characters (and there’s no harm in that), their faces have an air of timelessness about them.

The most noteworthy aspect of the women (and some men) painted by Khalid Saeed Butt is their postures. Almost every gouache-on-canvas exhibit has a woman or women looking elegant and moving towards something or the other, either reacting to a situation or causing a situation to develop. This makes the artworks pretty catchy.

Nature, perhaps with a certain degree of obviousness, plays an important role in the scheme of things: trees, foliage, birds, water etc. The opaque watercolours lend the exhibits a feeling of certitude in terms of the protagonists and at the same time keep the lightness of the sceneries intact.

One particular piece needs a special mention. It is an image of a girl against the backdrop of thick foliage – a big tree with all its might and grandeur almost becoming part of the girl’s being. The contrast adds a certain degree of gravity to the otherwise seemingly untroubled beautiful view.

The exhibition will continue until March 16.