Social, cultural issues highlighted through paintings

LAHORE

A solo show of paintings by renowned and versatile artist Muhammad Javed and launching of book 'A Man of the Arts - Muhammad Javed', edited by Dr Shaukat Mahmood, is being held at Zahoor-ul-Akhlaq Gallery on Wednesday (today) at 4pm.

Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran will be the chief guest on this occasion while the speakers include Dr Shaukat Mahmood, Prof Dr Shahida Manzoor, Mian Ijaz-ul-Hassan, NCA Principal Dr Murtaza Jafri and Dr Ajaz Anwar.

Muhammad Javed is a Fine Arts graduate from National College of Arts and belongs to its first batch passed out in 1962. The first batch got an opportunity to learn from the galaxy of foreign teachers appointed under Colombo Plan to meet the challenges for the prestigious NCA upgraded in 1958 when MR Sponenburgh was the Principal. At that time only the most suitable students were selected to lay the strong foundation of the college. As a result, the first batch made the history. Zahoor-ul-Akhlaq in Fine Arts, Nayar Ali Dada, Iqbal Hassan and Rehman Khan in Architecture, Mian Salah-ud-Din in ceramics and Bashir Mirza and Ahmad Khan in design were all from the first batch and so was the case of Muhammad Javed. Both Zahoor and Javed studied Art under the able guidance and direct supervision of Prof Shakir Ali, Head of Fine Arts Department and later Principle of the college. 

He also did specialisation in urban and regional planning from MIT-USA and attended courses in education technology, communication, planning and development and housing at various institutions of different countries and participated in a number of conferences. He is a well-travelled artist and has visited art galleries and museums of UK, USA, Canada, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and other countries.

He received first annual distinguished artist award from MIT- USA in 1989 and six solo shows to his credit held in the country and abroad. He has also been participating in various group exhibitions. A book entitled "A Man of the Arts - Muhammad Javed' edited by Prof Dr Shaukat Mahmood has been published on his work and life covering more than 50 years period of his career. Recently a book "Relevance in the Art: Fine Art Masters of 21st century" by K Heinz Player has been published in German Language in Austria, in which 39 artists have been covered and Muhammad Javed is one of them, which is a pride for Pakistan. 

Javed, along with his own artwork, is heading the Coopera Art Gallery since 1997, and has worked a lot to promote appreciation of Art and Literature and has an honour to introduce a number of new talents. He writes on art and artists, and his articles have been published in different magazines. Since 2004 he has also been serving as secretary general of Pakistan Writers Society and has looked after publications of more than 45 prestigious books. He has his own style of expression, which is unusual and intriguing. He likes to paint social and cultural issues and his work has a significant role in the field of art. 

The present exhibition reveals his multiple moods and concerns. His cityscapes are well-studied and built; crowded with mundane, everyday movement and multiple activities. There is a canvas that arrests the silence of the book section of the Coopera Gallery where a person is flicking pages of a book and three other surveying books on a shelf.