All about emerging art genres

Karachi
It seems these days art galleries are in a neck-and-neck race to promote new, unconventional art forms which, to begin with, may be all Latin to the viewer but then, on a little contemplation, may unfold their profundity.
Gone are the days when pieces of art were a balm to the vision. Gone are the days of the art of Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Gainsborough, or John Constable when an artwork aroused noble and sublime feelings in a viewer. A pretty face, a sparkling brook cascading its way down lush hills, an undulating verdant meadow and others of the like are now a thing of the foggy past.
Today, pieces of art are not a delight for the vision or the soul but are brain teasers that really put one’s imagination to the test.
One such exhibition opened at the Canvas Art Gallery at Clifton on Tuesday. Even though meticulously done, appreciating the works of art called for lots and lots of imaginative acumen. Some, rather most, were plain abstract art.
For instance, there’s the picture of an absolutely conservatively clad young woman by Amra Khan with the words "I want my MTV" emblazoned across the work. Whether it is supposed to denote a revolt against conservatism or anything else is left entirely up to the viewer’s imagination.
However, there are two exhibits that are highly commendable. They are art as understood by the laymen. They deserve all the laurels as regards the clarity, the theme, and the winsome nature.
One of these is a large inkjet print and acrylic on canvas (40 by 59 inches), titled ‘Nuclear Day Dream II’. Through its bright crimson fireball and the mushroom cloud, it surely kindles a consciousness in the viewer about the horrors of a nuclear dilemma.
Unlike modern art forms, it leaves nothing to the imagination. It certainly sets one thinking, something art is supposed to do.
Similarly there’s another one that could be termed a real piece of art. It is the portrait of a very elegantly sari-clad lady, with meticulously chiselled features, a Greco-Roman nose, in short a
picture of elegance (55by 40 inches), by Shakil Saigol. This could, from all perspectives, be called art.
Sajjad Ahmed is an art graduate from the Beaconhouse National University, Lahore while Shakil Saigol who has specialized in miniature art is a product of the National College of Art, Lahore. The show titled 'Nishaana' comprises works by 12 artists.