An exercise in winsome expressionism

Art lovers in town were treated to another exuberant art exhibition featuring the works of Lahore-based artist Lubna Jehangir at the Grandeur Art Gallery in Defence on Tuesday.

A specialist in expressionism, Lubna’s painting technique is water colours and zero paint brush. She leaves lots to the readers’ imagination to come up with an interpretation of her work. She uses very pastel shades but the end-product is prolific, indeed.

For instance, her work, titled “Let the waters settle”, shows the sun as the epicentre of creation and the moon revolving around it. In between there are greys representing water and animal life.

The reader is most welcome to draw his conclusion, but at the same time, the theme is self-explanatory and is a pointer to the sun as the source of all life. All it requires is a fertile imagination to figure out what it is the artist really has in mind.

Then there’s one of a woman in stone, rigid, stiff but the fluid she’s drinking is overflowing her mouth, implying thereby that there can be no stopping the mind from thinking. 

It implies that the realm of the mind is unlimited and orders or forcible methods cannot shut it. An individual may be coerced into inaction on some matter but the processing of thinking cannot be limited, which many would interpret as that you cannot mould the views of a person by brute force, that restrictions on freedom of speech cannot hamper creativity.

Lubna has evolved a style that enables her to freely express her thoughts. The style, referred to in art jargon as pointillism, was perfected by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac in the 1880s, branching from expressionism.

Lubna has participated in a number of national and international exhibitions over the last six years.

The exhibition which opened on Tuesday runs up until the 18th of January. It is a must-see for lovers of things which transcend the purely physical plane.