ISLAMABAD - An exhibition featuring more than 120 artworks by 48 artists and calligraphers from China started here at National Art Gallery on Tuesday.
Pakistan National Council of Arts and ministry of information, broadcasting and national heritage in collaboration with the embassy of the People's Republic of China arranged the exhibition titled "Hand in Hand 2014."
Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong in his welcome address said that culture and art are the essence of a country and the nation's civilisation. There are big differences between Chinese and western paintings as the Chinese are mainly paying attention to the expression of subjectivity. But these differences in art expression create a colourful work based on diversity of civilisations.
A crowd of art lovers was zigzagged at the works put on show. The artworks displayed as compared to those exhibited previously included the impression of power and heaviness of colours, while the precision of watercolours reflected in some of the paintings of bamboos and others reminds of the hallmark of the Chinese master artworks.
A painting of Zhang Weigguo exhibiting the reflection of moon in the pond of water was associated with the concept of Buddhism. "It relates to the concept of Sufism prevailing in Pakistan and rest of the world that signifies to shun the pleasures of worldly attractions because it becomes fruitless to pursue the reflection of moon in the water whereas the original lies far ahead in the skies," as the Weigguo put it.
In a much effervescent work with theme Yellow River, artist Xing Jianjun exhibited the relationship of pointed huge rocks funnelling the flow of water. Water is in its fullness sizing the enormity of Yellow River in the painting. A persuasive art piece of a woman lying in green by Jin Mei, was starkly different from rest of the works presented in the exhibition. Her works reminded the delicacy, richness and precise use of colours by Monet and such family of European artists.
Zhao Ku illustrated the 3-D aspect of world in the painting of three fish. It represented the circularity of nature. Sleeping beauty of the mountains in the full moon night was well painted by Wu Jianjun. Li Kuan painted the marvellous portrait in water paint of President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain. The painting of pandas by Ren Wei was of substance.
Most of the artworks were painted in the colours of black, red and green. The contrasts were shown with black and white and black and red. Bian Guanglan painted blue flowers with addition of black and white. Theme of rural life illuminating the animals was visible in the exhibit.
The fear and apathy of animals was also shown by the artists, as due to environmental pollution the scope of their existence on the planet is limiting. Above all, the exhibition covered a variety of topics from mythical meeting of woman and horse to the computer animations making the exhibition a worthy effort by both Pakistani and Chinese governments to extend the bilateral relationship between people of both of the countries.