KARACHI: Eqbal Mehdi was one of the finest artists that Pakistan has produced. His importance is twofold: one, he was a master painter; two, he imparted the knowledge, technique and wisdom of art to a sizable number of individuals, some of whom are now distinguished artists in their own right. It was such a delight to see some of Mehdi’s (1946-2008) works in a two-day exhibition that began on Tuesday evening at a local hotel.

In terms of the artist’s oeuvre, the show, organised by the Hashoo Group Team, is an embarrassment of riches. There’s so much aesthetic grace and natural beauty that the artworks on display contain that it boggles the mind which one to look at for a long time and which one fleetingly. The paintings (done in a variety of media –– acrylic, oil and pen and ink on canvas) come in the form of portraits, drawings and landscapes. He was an aesthete, first and foremost, and his craft was no less awesome. Combine these two things and what you get is top-drawer art.

This is evident from a striking image of a girl who is wearing a headgear bedecked with jewels. The extraordinary feature of Mehdi’s work is that it always has ‘beauty’ at its centre. The fine attire and the embellishments play second fiddle to the character in focus. And more often than not that character, the female form, is elegant and charming. Mehdi, in his creative pursuits, never deforms beauty. If anything, he tries to enhance it, if there’s a possibility for it. The image of a girl helping a man riding a camel with a bowl of water delineates this point well. Obviously, the idea is to show thirst in a desert. But Mehdi turns the entire scene into one of grace and affection.

This, of course, is aided by the artist’s impeccable use of lines and colour. His drawings are just brilliant. He could draw a straight line with closed eyes, or so it seemed. It’s important if one is making portraits.

Even the scenes, in which no single person is at the heart of the painting, which he creates are never devoid of aesthetics. After all, as a famous Romantic once wrote, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all/Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

After the exhibition was formally inaugurated eight of the artworks were auctioned to support a noble cause.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2018