Artist praised for magical skills to capture landscape at Rawalpindi Arts Council
Sabeeha Nasir finds solace in the serenity of nature that truly depicts in all of her paintings. Her paintings, which are mostly about nature, showcase trees, rivers, flowing water, landscapes, wildlife, pigeons, parrots and exquisite flowers.
A solo exhibition of paintings by Islamabad-based senior artist Sabeeha Nasir is on at the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC). MNA Malik Abrar Ahmed accompanied by Naheed Manzoor and RAC Resident Director Waqar Ahmed inaugurated the exhibition on Wednesday.
Talking to ‘The News,’ Sabeeha said that after completing her MFA from the University of Punjab, she became an associate professor and then principal of the FG College for Women, F-7/2. She retired after 36-year service. After teaching fine arts for so many years, she has full command over her brush. Be it oil colours, oil pastels, poster colours, pencil or watercolours, she comfortably handles them with ease.
Sabeeha has also highlighted problems faced by labourers and their women, how they deal with their tedious work on daily basis and how they deal with their financial problems. One painting showed a labourer submerged in water depicting how he is engulfed in financial crisis.
Sabeeha said that during her teaching career, she supervised an elementary book on art for primary teachers. She participated in several group shows in Pakistan and abroad arranged by the PNCA and was honoured when her painting was selected and published in Who’s Who in World Art in Lousanne, France. She has also won first and second prizes in different competitions on Eid cards and posters on environment. She also undertook assignments as course instructor at the FJWU.
While addressing after inaugurating the show, Abrar Ahmed said that Sabeeha Nasir has a magical skill to capture the essence of the vignette that she replicates on canvas. Beyond realism, she understands her subject matter well. The artist renders such images with amazing dexterity. Her paintings take their inspiration from a direct observation of nature, he added.
Mr. Kusdiana, counsellor (social and cultural affairs) at the Indonesian Embassy, was of the view that Sabeeha Nasir uses a rich palette that brings a pictorial richness to her canvas. “She is a master of capturing seasons and times of the day. In her landscapes, one can truly feel the breeze and smell the grass,” he said.
Naheed Manzoor said that the Rawalpindi Arts Council always encouraged new talent as well as seasoned artists to exhibit their art.
Sabeeha Nasir has several group shows to her credit, but this is her first-ever solo exhibition.
The exhibition will continue at the Rawalpindi Arts Council till June 2.
