KARACHI: It is always a delight to see a collection of master painters’ works, primarily because the kind of aesthetics that their artworks were imbued with is these days a bit difficult to summon. Modern-day artists are increasingly resorting to conceptual art — and there’s nothing wrong with that, more power to them — rather than ideas emanating from deep-seated feelings. A two-day group show called Grand Masters that wrapped up last week at the Vision Gallery boasted a rich collection of iconic Pakistani artists’ paintings made a few decades back. They are quite a sight to behold.

The reason that they are a sight to behold is that the versatility the viewer gets to see in a single show is pretty overwhelming. From Gulgee to Jamil Naqsh and from Mansoor Rahi to Tasadduq Sohail, there’s a good variety of subjects and techniques on display. The bottom line, though, is: it’s art right out of the top drawer.

It would be fair to first talk about a striking oil-on-canvas piece by Ahmed Khan. From the time man has begun drawing images, fruit and birds have been a major source of inspiration, falling into the larger taxonomical group of nature. Khan’s work elevates that tribute to a level where multiplicity of meaning takes centre-stage. The frame that encapsulates the above-mentioned two things brings a geometric dimension into the larger picture, making the artwork come across as an absorbing blend of naturalism and realism. Of course, aesthetic grace is nowhere compromised, as was the case with all our masters, in the creative process.

Then there is the inimitable Jamil Naqsh with his unmatched drawing skills. If Khan’s birds are metaphorically opulent, Naqsh’s pigeons are characters that speak to the viewer in romantic whispers that the viewer can easily identify with.

The rest of the artists whose works were on view: Abdur Rehman Chughtai, Askari Mian, Bashir Mirza, Eqbal Mehdi, Nagori, Souza and Saeed Akhtar.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2019