ISLAMABAD - First modern artist after the creation of Pakistan Zubeida Agha remembered on his death anniversary on Wednesday.
Zubeida Agha was born in 1922 in Faisalabad. In 1944 - 46 she started working with B C Sanyal.
Her introverted disposition and concentrated study of philosophy formed the background against which her abstract `idea’ paintings emerged.
At the Lahore School of Fine Art (1945), Agha began a study of Western art.
In addition to copying Old Masters, she came into contact with contemporary Indian painting and folk art.
The Society of Fine Arts awarded her first prize for modern painting in 1946.
She was the first artist in Pakistan to have an exhibition of modern paintings.
Trained in both Pakistan and Europe, she developed an approach to painting that reflected her education and experience. Her images of landscapes and people are simplified forms made with a variety of vibrant colors reminiscent of both Fauvism and Rajput miniatures.
She held 11 solo exhibitions in the country and abroad, receiving the Shakir Ali Award for National exhibition.
In 1961 she was appointed executive director of the Contemporary Art Gallery in Rawalpindi, receiving the President’s Award for Pride of Performance in 1965.
She died on October 31, 1997. On 14th August 2006, Pakistan Post issued a Rs 40 sheet-let to posthumously honor 10 Pakistani painters. She was one of them.