Indus Muse by Moazzam Ali (3rd - 7th Feb-2022)

ARTCITI

Invites you to

An exclusive exhibition of paintings

INDUS MUSE

Moazzam Ali

-Watercolour Master

3rd – 7th February 2021

Exhibition Opening

3rd February 2021
6pm - 8pm

Visit our gallery or view the virtual exhibition
on www.artciti.com

All SOPs must be strictly followed.

Landmarks of Moazzam Ali

Watercolor Master Award - International Watercolor Biennale - 2020 PEARLS OF PEACE
Honorable Juror Award - International Watercolor Society - 2020
Pakistan President's Pride of Performance - Medal of Excellence (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz) 2016. The President of Pakistan confers this civil decoration on Pakistani citizens in recognition of their gallantry and outstanding achievements in their field of work.
Life time achievement award - International Art Biennale 2018.
Crowned the title 'Master of Watercolor' by the Whitney Museum New York, USA and given an International Award in 2007.
A book titled 'Moazzam Ali' consisting of 260 pages was published in honor of the artist in 2007. It comprises of Moazzam's life journey of becoming a watercolor master and contains more than 175 spectacular painting plates from all his life's work.
As well as being a successful artist, Moazzam understands and values the importance of education in the society which is why he contributed his services as a Principal of two art Colleges for six years. He has also provided services as an art Director to many reputed advertising agencies for eight years.
A great honor for paintings to be commissioned and collected by President's House, Prime Minister's House, Governor's House, Embassies, Consulates, Banks, Five star Hotels, Museums etc. More than 700 paintings grace the walls of rooms and lobbies of the Sheraton Hotel.
Secured First Class First Position Gold Medal in the whole province on graduating in Fine Art 1980.
Moazzam Ali is a world recognized artist whose painting demonstrations and references are used by art universities, academies and art teachings all around the world. Art societies and groups all over the world have uploaded Moazzam Ali's Work in his honour to promote Arts.
His worldwide fame and respect gathered from all over the world can be seen through his painting demonstrations viewership of over million views and uncountable followers.

Moazzam Ali is a supremely talented watercolor artist with a flair for distinctive portraiture and spellbinding landscapes. With an attentive eye for detail his gestural strokes compose delightful textures of water, wood, grass, flesh, and fabric in a seemingly effortless approach so vital to a successful watercolor artist. Moazzam's portraiture reaches out and captures the inner essence of his subject, framed by beautiful, flowing garments that dissolve into the background towards the outer edges of the piece.

Moazzam is a master of watercolor painting, taking a medium known for its difficult nature and making the paints do precisely as he wishes. His decisive nature lends confidence to his art form. "It was thought till now that there is no flexibility in watercolor medium, no change could be made, and it's a very hard and difficult medium," he states. "I have condemned this philosophy, my work proves that watercolor is a very flexible medium," Moazzam's knowledge of watercolor is immediately apparent, the washes retaining transparency meld together for exquisite colorations and intrepid line work stretches over these delicate areas. He is particularly adept at catching the dance of light off particular surfaces. His landscapes depicting mountainous regions reveal crispness in the air; light shines through the clouds to radiate off of the fresh, white snow and clear mountain lakes.

His work has been featured in many solo exhibitions and he has participated in countless group shows. Moazzam Ali has studios in Karachi, New York, and Canada.

Tina Kukielski,

Whitney Museum, New York, USA.

Although Pakistan has seen it's fair share of watercolour masters over the years, in this age of modern mediums and digitization, it is still commendable to see many people keep the medium alive through sheer dedication and immense display of skill.

One such dedicated soul who consistently pours colourful talent onto blank canvases is Moazzam Ali. His artist roots go way back to his childhood when he took upon drawing as to express, drawing anything and anyone he came across, encapsulating his experiences on paper. Eventually, Ali chose to major in the arts, securing first class first position gold medal in Sindh Province in 1980. Not only has he been crowned as a 'Master of Watercolour' by the Whitney Museum New York, but has received numerous accolades including the Pakistan President's Pride of Performance Medal of Excellence (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz) in the field of Painting.

When it comes to the artist's work, there's a single dominant word that comes to a viewer's mind; boldness. Breaking tethers of expected watercolour traditions, he takes on bold colours and compositions, treading the line between transparency and opacity within the same medium. His recent exhibition showcases one of his dominant skills within the realms of watercolours, delving into a plethora of free-flowing vibrant colours all whilst displaying an avid inclination towards the classic impasto strokes often seen in acrylic works. The artist seamlessly manages to collide worlds into his work, where the intricate control needed over a medium as difficult as watercolour remains evident, but an urge to break conventionality is vibrantly visible where enhanced brush strokes can be quite distinctly seen.

There's a conflict between being gestural with a free-flowing instrument and being blatantly refined with his technique; the end result is quite an avant-garde culmination of both these spheres, which nestles itself perfectly in the subject matter and the stories these canvases narrate. Shedding a light on women as the central focus in his works, something the artist has consistently done, he effortlessly captures a special side to the portrayal of women in art away from objectification. He views the women he paints as a giver of life and a protector. But that's not their identity in these artful borders; these women are not living their life to provide for someone else as society often stencils them as. Instead, they are living for themselves, seen in striking visuals wearing colourful clothes and statement earpieces, catching the scent of a rose, picking out a sunflower, or gazing into the great beyond with a sense of fulfilment or self-satisfaction. One may approach such subject matter warily when analysing it, hoping to catch an ounce of bias or unwarranted embellishment from the male gaze, but the artist's work doesn't aim for social commentary.

Moazzam Ali's constant revolves around the cultural heritage of Pakistan, his content linked to the inhabitants of the Indus civilization, narrating the stories of the past and the present. It represents a peek into the rich history of these people, rendering their life to a beautiful celebration of femininity and culture.

Each line and every texture that follows aims to have meaning and purpose, every stroke adding its own significant value to the larger composition. Like a musical ensemble creating a masterful production, every layer complements the melody the artist wants to present. The colour palette of choice projects the boldness and richness of these characters and their environment, where fiery flashes of reds, blues, and greens take centre stage. His figures hold traditional ethnic features and the artist's expertise allows him to display emotion in an intricate way, especially through their eyes. These individuals do not bend the knee but break the wheel in their own way, seen experiencing a sense of joy and contentedness with the life and colour around them.

A viewer is not only met with pleasing visuals but is taken on a journey amidst these lively personas, eventually taking in the gush of striking beauty these paintings aim to deliver. Moazzam Ali's skill in representing such a feeling for his audiences remains unparalleled, brought to perfection by decades of experience and skill.

Maheen Aziz

Art Critic