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Anwar Maqsood exhibits his paintings in Karachi

Anwar Maqsood exhibits his paintings in Karachi

Long before he shot to fame as a writer, Anwar Maqsood was splashing colours onto canvas
Updated 18 Oct, 2017

Anwar Maqsood is one of the country’s foremost writers. He is known for his razor-sharp wit and the uncanny ability to create puns out of words that one least expects can be used that way.

But long before he shot to fame as a writer, Maqsood was splashing colours on to canvas/paper and drawing lines that were strong and the hallmark of a painter of high merit. This creative facet is not visible to a big number of his admirers. It is against this backdrop that an exhibition of Maqsood’s artworks that opened on Tuesday at the Koel Café Galley assumes significance.

Anwar Maqsood shows characters in situations whose back-stories are not difficult to decipher but their future course of action is hard to call — White Star
Anwar Maqsood shows characters in situations whose back-stories are not difficult to decipher but their future course of action is hard to call — White Star

Maqsood doesn’t paint the way he writes. When he writes, he tends to expose the follies and foibles of the people he knows or interacts with in society. When he paints, he shows his characters in situations whose back-stories are not difficult to decipher but their future course of action is hard to call.

This is especially noticeable in the case of the women he draws. Like all artists worth their salt, Maqsood is fascinated with the female form. The way he draws their eyes indicates he takes partiality for totality. This means once you start looking at/into his character’s eyes, the layers to the rest of her physical self will, as if automatically, be visible, and yet there will be a lot that the viewer will be left to find out in terms of her psychosocial growth. You may call it suspension of belief.

At the heart of it all is the strength of Anwar Maqsood’s lines complemented by the profusion of colours
At the heart of it all is the strength of Anwar Maqsood’s lines complemented by the profusion of colours

At the heart of it all is the strength of Maqsood’s lines complemented by the profusion of colours and the use of charcoal that he chooses to fill the frame (read: paper) with.

Then comes the symbols: birds. Bird and human make a meaningful pair. The meaning gets manifold if a sad-looking girl is seen alongside a fidgety bird.

The exhibition will conclude on October 30.


Originally published in Dawn, October 18th, 2017

Comments

Wasi Qureshi Oct 18, 2017 10:25am
Salute you Sir... A true legend.
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Raza Rizvi Oct 18, 2017 10:28am
Grande Inspiration
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asad Oct 18, 2017 10:30am
He should rather focus and concentrate on Drama.
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Nagma Oct 18, 2017 10:32am
If you don't understand the paintings, consider it to be great!
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kamranchaudhry Oct 18, 2017 10:33am
they were made like this or made over the time to look like this.he wasted his time on it or it was to will the time.we only know him sa a good writer and anchorman.
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ALbert Oct 18, 2017 11:07am
He should stick with writing, painting is not his forte!
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Alam Masud Oct 18, 2017 11:57am
A writer paints a character or a situation on paper by his pen , when the same person able to paint his ideas that is a manifestation of his talent . There is no airtight compartment in the field of art and knowledge. Long live Anwar Maqsood.
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Saif Zulfiqar Oct 18, 2017 12:50pm
Anwar Masood Bhai , I will not talk about your paintings but about you. I live a retired life in Europe and always miss your old programmes and remember Karachi - Roshiniyoon ka Shair.
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Dawn Oct 18, 2017 02:24pm
And an artist as well? Great talent indeed.
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asad Oct 18, 2017 02:32pm
If you are not so great on your passion then concentrate on thing you are known for, that is why Please focus on writing drama and forget about painting.
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Syed Ahmed Oct 19, 2017 08:12am
Do whatever you like. Express yourself in whatever way you think best expresses your innermost feelings. Give it your best. Ghalib did not only write poetry. He also wrote prose.
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Amer RAO Oct 22, 2017 06:50am
Impressive, I am a big fan of him.
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