Karachi (May 19, 2017): Death Anniversary of Internationally renowned artist Eqbal Mehdi is being observed today. He died due to kidney failure on Monday 19 May 2008 in Rawalpindi. He was buried at Sakhi Hasan graveyard, Karachi on Tuesday 20 May 2008.
Eqbal Mehdi was a realistic artist. In the most general sense the term is often applied to works, which, instead of choosing conventionally beautiful subjects, depict ugly things or at least scenes from the life of the poorer classes. In this sense, Mehdi is not Courbet. He paints beautiful subjects, especially when he works on maidens and portraits of the generals, rulers and ladies of high profile. He idealizes their profiles on his canvases. He can peep into the minds of his subjects and paints them the way they imagine their person and personality.
Eqbal Mehdi’s enormous body of work includes portraits, horses, Moorish street scenes and landscapes, local cultural events and figurative renditions executed in oils, pastels and pen and ink- a hallmark of Mehdi. Eqbal Mehdi’s dames on canvas are absorbed in their own thoughts or self-adoration.
Almost four decades ago, Eqbal Mehdi started with pen and ink. Although now sensibility and skills go hand in hand on his canvases, as a beginner, sensibility came first to him. It was inborn. Born in a family of writers, poets and filmmakers, he imbibed the ambiance of Amroha- a small town in India but full of art, literature, culture and theatre activities. Eqbal Mehdi started drawing and painting when he was only eight. His restless spirit pushed him out of Amroha. He landed in Karachi. The first assignment he got as an artist was at Lail-o-Nehar in 1967. He was 21 years of age only.
He made illustrations for Lail-o-Nahar, a political organ. When Akhbar-e-Jehan came into being, Eqbal Mehdi was requested to make illustrations for stories and serials published in the weekly magazine. His special assignment at Akhbar-e-Jehan was to illustrate a piece of poetry that appeared on page 2 of the weekly journal. That had to be a young lady completely soaked in gloom that comes with love. Subrang Digest was another monthly organ decorated with his teenagers wrapped up in romance. It was here that his skills as a portrait painter emerged. Romantic element in his portraits dates back to that period.
Eqbl Mehdi is the only artist in Pakistan who has produced a number of artists in his own linage of work.
Related News:
66th death anniversary of Hasrat Mohani being observed Today
