To have a personal space is something most desired by many humans. A personal space to create and be creative where the surrounding environment becomes the very sources of inspiration, becomes a dream very few people have had realised.
It is when I first engaged in conversation with artist Muntehaa Azad I discovered how important her life’s route and her creating this space in relocation, was in the growing process and culmination of her work today.
Muntehaa Azad was married at an early age but her obligations have never stopped her to seek out knowledge in the creative field. She studied different disciplines in art, including at the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture in Karachi, Pakistan. It’s there she met her mentor and teacher AQ Arif, who encouraged her to try water colours as a medium. It is her final relocation to the almost remote mountains of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), is what gave her an isolation which was to become a standpoint in her expression.
Muntehaa is a name that is now fast being well recognised in the local art circles as an emerging artist. Her classical style imagery of landscapes surrounding her home in Rawalakot, AJK, depicts nature in its natural glory; a part of Pakistan which is highlighted for several other reasons, more for its geo-political nature, seconded by its natural resources and its crafts industry.
Muntehaa is a name that is now fast being well recognised in the local art circles as an emerging artist. Her classical style imagery of landscapes surrounding her home in Rawalakot, AJK, depicts nature in its natural glory; a part of Pakistan which is highlighted for several other reasons, more for its geo-political nature, seconded by its natural resources and its crafts industry
For the past several decades, AJK known for its ever changing dynamics and sensitivities was mainly left untouched in its essence. Although a lot of work did occur in terms of development, it has not been enough to invite a heavy load of tourism. We do find it loved by a few adventurers and explorers to travel too as part of a bucket list. Because of its geographical location and it’s quiet yet prominent presence for Pakistanis it has been mainly left in parts quite isolated. Beautifully untouched, serene and breathtakingly scenic, it is a visual palette of delight in itself. Another interesting part about AJK is that although it faces a severe winter, it does display ever changing seasons, which means the scene does not remain static, a dream for any painter or photographer to fill up their portfolio.
It is here the artist paints using water colours to recreate and pinpoint her location of the nearby fields and nature. In her studio with lush landscape all around, Muntehaa gives us more than just a glimpse of the settings of her home through her work. She recreates entire moments in her landscapes with ease onto her frame. Her choice of medium is water colours on handmade paper. The size of her work varies being near 22 x 30 inches at times, the larger pieces now being coveted by art collectors. The water colours in her work are executed with well practiced technique, where she is artist and executioner and we the audience that remains wanting to go further onto the snowy path or sit by a lake to simply enjoy the view.
The artist engages the viewer first with vast landscaping, and a focused palette of colour tones of the same family, covering the field that envelops us as observers. Each painting, sometimes, from a distance with an almost photo realistic dimension engages the viewers as if seen through a lens then with expertise in technique. On a closer view one can see the blending and washes of paint and water which is the signature of the medium. Although I noticed Muntehaa’s work used a wide range of the colour palette from both warm to cool colours, it is her cooler palette that I was more attracted to visually.
The artist brings each painting into a beautiful capture, as if the viewer is settled in a moment of time in a faraway land. It is almost as if she wants us to experience the moment of time with her. She depicts mainly in a panorama view of a scene and then there are more focused moments such as a man-made stairway near a stream or the silhouette of a man on a boat amongst a backdrop of water and forest.
Muntehaa is a member of International Watercolour Society (IWS) and has had her paintings displayed in Malaysia, Peru as well as the IWS Pakistan show which was held in Port Grand, Karachi. Her recent solo exhibition was at the Nairang Art Gallery, under the ownership of Nayyer Ali Dada.
We are hoping to see more of her art in the future with even further dimensions to her work.
The writer is a blogger
Published in Daily Times, March 1st 2019.