PESHAWAR: A noted watercolourist has an endless love for the old landscape of Peshawar walled city and at times his romance takes a nostalgic tinge that overwhelms even the beholders and brings back the past glory of the city. Prof Ali Sajid’s artworks had registered impact on art lovers as his ideas and images transported them to a magic world, opined Rahim Shah, an art- buff. KP artists had no dearth of talent and creativity but required opportunities to bring out their inside artist, Mr Shah stated.

Teaching at city university of Science and Technology, Peshawar, Prof Ali Sajid has held several solo exhibitions and conducted workshops in Pakistan and abroad. He heads KP artists association and engaged with the provincial government regarding an art gallery in Peshawar. KP government has announced Rs100 million for a state of the art gallery.

Prof Ali Sajid paints romance with the walled city’s landscape

Mr Sajid, an artist of international repute, and recipient of numerous awards has been playing with brush and colours on his canvas shaping up images of the old Peshawar city for some years. After doing masters in fine arts from the University of Peshawar in 2004, Ali Sajid further chiselled his art and did advance courses in sketching from Singapore and worked with Singaporean and Japanese urban sketchers.

Born with a flair for putting to shapes, he fell in love with colours and water colour became his strong forte and the landscape of the Peshawar walled city became his Achilles’ heel and water and colours of his lofty imagination reclaimed the beauty of once abode of flowers and his masterpieces landed in the head office of Unseco, UNHCR, Fabriano and Urbino, museums of Italy and some local places around KP.

In a chat with Dawn, the artist said that an art gallery was long overdue because KP had been home to artists par excellence by virtue of their sublime artwork and their masterpieces had been recognised at world level. He said he and colleagues had held a number of meetings with the relevant government officials and had briefed them on the significance, requirements and location of the art gallery.

“Art gallery will showcase our true face to the world and also young artists will find a place to display their artwork. Art gallery should have been built long ago because KP has been home to world-class artists but unfortunately no practical steps were taken by the previous governments. KP artists will get a new life with the art gallery, we have envisioned. Art gallery serves many purposes, not just a place for display of artworks but a wholesome inspiration,” Mr Sajid observed.

Mr Sajid said every artist had his/her own way of expression and also had certain motifs to portray through colours and different shades of Peshawar had always been his romance and nostalgia. He said old Peshawar city’s landscape attracted all and sundry because of beautiful associations and a bit of satellite memories that artworks could transport and inspire the visitors.

“I have used other mediums and motifs too one cannot stick to just one idea or images because ideas come through and at times even one image could take different shapes but I feel quite easy with water colour and the idea of Peshawar,” the artist explained.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2019