RAWALPINDI: A three-day group exhibition titled Beautiful Pakistan started on Monday at the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC).

The exhibition featured more than 100 art pieces, mostly oil-on-canvas of Pakistani landscape and 30 artists have contributed their paintings to the show.

There were also portraits of people, showcasing their lives in deserts, mountains and cities. The paintings are simple but attractive due to their interesting colour schemes.

One of the artists, Mehmood Ali, had painted the mountains and plains of the country. He said Pakistan is blessed with natural beauty and that the exhibition was started with an aim to showcase the natural beauty of the desk. He has mostly used oil colours.

Another artist, Mohammad Nawaz Khan said he used to paint in various locations in the twin cities to capture the real essence of life in the cities.

He said he has painted the routine lives of people and that the love Pakistanis have for art is evident in the artwork to be found on buildings, vehicles and other objects.

Madiha Baig, a contributor to the show, said the group exhibition had provided artists with an opportunity to present the beauty of their country and junior artists had an opportunity to learn from senior artists.

She said portraits of common people are important and that she has tried to depict social issues with her paintings.

Artist Malika Mushahid said she was inspired to paint landscapes and that she likes working on site. She said it was difficult to bring life to the canvas but she has tried.

RAC Director Waqar Ahmed lauded the artists for their work and said they help promote a soft image of the country by raising awareness of its natural beauty.

He said the council has decided to hold events for celebrating Independence Day from Aug 10 to Aug 14.

The exhibition will continue till Aug 9.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2018