Ghulam Rasul’s painting go on display at Argentina embassy
April 30, 2010
Islamabad
In keeping with the resolve to celebrate Argentina’s independence in style throughout the year, an exhibition of the late artist, Ghulam Rasul’s (popularly known as GR) paintings was held at the embassy of Argentina under the aegis of the ambassador and Mrs Martin-Saravia, which was attended by a large number of art lovers and men and women about town.
The lawn of the embassy had been set up to create the right ambience with lights and comfortable seating all around, while the exhibition was set up inside the premises.
Addressing the gathering, the host said, “It is my privilege to welcome you tonight to the Embassy of the Argentine Republic to this exhibition of paintings of a great Pakistani Painter Ghulam Rasul. His sudden and unexpected death shocked me personally. An ambassador is neither an art critic nor an art expert and I will not make the mistake of boring you with any of my own commentaries of Ghulam Rasul’s art. And with this exhibition I wanted to give all of you a chance to see his work and from my side to bid farewell to an artist whom I much admired. I am an art lover and a firm believer in the links of peace and communication that can be built among nations through art. Since my arrival to Pakistan almost 6 years ago, my embassy and myself have been doing several activities to strengthen the bilateral relations especially in the field of culture.” “Ghulam Rasul will be with us forever, through his work, his paintings of the cultural heritage of Pakistan and in the visual memory of the world. Each of his paintings in so many private homes, like the ones I see in the houses of several of my friends, or in museums, will continue his name and fame for generations to come.”
He concluded by expressing thanks to a great patron of the arts, Zulfikar Ali who offered to sponsor the event and said Argentina will soon celebrate the 200th anniversary of its Independence Revolution. “It is in the spirit of freedom of our independence and in the spirit of friendship with the great nation of Pakistan, I am deeply honoured to host tonight in the halls of my Embassy this exhibition of paintings by a departed son of this soil.”
GR’s daughter Rabia thanked the ambassador for paying tribute to her father and Zulfiqar Ali for sponsoring the event before paying her own tribute. “Not only was he a great landscape painter, printmaker, innovator of flat art; peace ambassador; promoter of Pakistani fine arts; devoted professor, but a great friend and an equally great father.” Adding that her father loved nature and travelled widely within the country to capture its colours on canvas, she said she saw him everywhere and the purple of jacaranda, the white and lilac of the ‘kachnaar’ and the green of the pastures is a perpetual reminder of him. “He shall continue to live on through his work,” she concluded.
The exhibition was composed of the private collection of the family (not for sale) and some paintings that had not been exhibited before, their bright colours catching the eye and giving a sense of tranquillity. It was good to see something soothing to the senses instead of dark images of death and destruction and though these are necessary to keep us aware of what is happening around us, the positive side of the picture is a welcome sight.
In keeping with the resolve to celebrate Argentina’s independence in style throughout the year, an exhibition of the late artist, Ghulam Rasul’s (popularly known as GR) paintings was held at the embassy of Argentina under the aegis of the ambassador and Mrs Martin-Saravia, which was attended by a large number of art lovers and men and women about town.
The lawn of the embassy had been set up to create the right ambience with lights and comfortable seating all around, while the exhibition was set up inside the premises.
Addressing the gathering, the host said, “It is my privilege to welcome you tonight to the Embassy of the Argentine Republic to this exhibition of paintings of a great Pakistani Painter Ghulam Rasul. His sudden and unexpected death shocked me personally. An ambassador is neither an art critic nor an art expert and I will not make the mistake of boring you with any of my own commentaries of Ghulam Rasul’s art. And with this exhibition I wanted to give all of you a chance to see his work and from my side to bid farewell to an artist whom I much admired. I am an art lover and a firm believer in the links of peace and communication that can be built among nations through art. Since my arrival to Pakistan almost 6 years ago, my embassy and myself have been doing several activities to strengthen the bilateral relations especially in the field of culture.” “Ghulam Rasul will be with us forever, through his work, his paintings of the cultural heritage of Pakistan and in the visual memory of the world. Each of his paintings in so many private homes, like the ones I see in the houses of several of my friends, or in museums, will continue his name and fame for generations to come.”
He concluded by expressing thanks to a great patron of the arts, Zulfikar Ali who offered to sponsor the event and said Argentina will soon celebrate the 200th anniversary of its Independence Revolution. “It is in the spirit of freedom of our independence and in the spirit of friendship with the great nation of Pakistan, I am deeply honoured to host tonight in the halls of my Embassy this exhibition of paintings by a departed son of this soil.”
GR’s daughter Rabia thanked the ambassador for paying tribute to her father and Zulfiqar Ali for sponsoring the event before paying her own tribute. “Not only was he a great landscape painter, printmaker, innovator of flat art; peace ambassador; promoter of Pakistani fine arts; devoted professor, but a great friend and an equally great father.” Adding that her father loved nature and travelled widely within the country to capture its colours on canvas, she said she saw him everywhere and the purple of jacaranda, the white and lilac of the ‘kachnaar’ and the green of the pastures is a perpetual reminder of him. “He shall continue to live on through his work,” she concluded.
The exhibition was composed of the private collection of the family (not for sale) and some paintings that had not been exhibited before, their bright colours catching the eye and giving a sense of tranquillity. It was good to see something soothing to the senses instead of dark images of death and destruction and though these are necessary to keep us aware of what is happening around us, the positive side of the picture is a welcome sight.
