RAWALPINDI, Aug 7: A week-long calligraphy exhibition kicked off here at Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) on Tuesday, in an impressive and colourful manner.

As many as 78 selected paintings of known artists, Elahi Bukhsh Matee, Imran Tahir, Khwaja Muhammad Hussain, Nadeem Sheikh, Sajjad Khurshid, Mahtab Javed, Rehmat Ali, Muhammad Azeem Iqbal and Younis Roomi, who hail from Rawalpindi and other parts of the region were on display.

A large number of artists, including some of the participating artists, art students and art collectors, turned up at the RAC gallery to view the calligraphic artwork.

The paintings displayed on the walls focused on the depiction of patterns and Arabic calligraphy.

After the inaugural ceremony, Dr Shoaib Shafi from Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) said: “The remarkable illustrations of the names of God and Quranic verses dabbled in vibrant hues were testimonies of the passionate attachment — the artists — had with their work and Islam, which would touch the inner routes of viewers’ minds and hearts.”

He said that calligraphers are the guardians of Islamic heritage and cause for bringing the positive image of the country.

Waqar Ahmed, Resident Director said that the idea behind the exhibition was to foster the old Islamic art and calligraphy skills, which have a very rich heritage.

He announced that this Council is also holding all Punjab Calligraphic Exhibition on August 13, 2012.