LAHORE: A classy exhibition featuring the works of the first-generation Pakistani artists will open at Ejaz Art Gallery on M.M. Alam Road on Monday (today).

The works of Abdur Rehman Chughtai, Ahmed Parvez, Anna Molka Ahmed, Anwar Jalal Shemza, Jamila Zaidi, Khalid Iqbal, Latif Chughtai, Miran Buksh, Moyen Najmi, Naseem Hafiz Qazi, Sadequain, Shakir Ali, Sheikh Saf dar and Ustad Allah Buksh will be on display till Nov 21.

The exhibition showcases works of the ñrst generation of Pakistani artists after 1947. Some of these painters were already residing in Lahore while others chose it astheir home. Their presence and practice enriched the cultural flavour of the city and innuenced the future generations of painters.

Lahore has been the hub of cultural activity since centuries. The Mughal made it a seat of cultural excellence and the patron of art, Jahangir, lies buried here. In conjunction with the theme of THAA P`s Conference `The People and the City`, Ejaz Art Gallery celebrates these eminent painters.

Ejaz Art Gallery was established in 1998 as the largest private space in Pakistan and focuses on the best of traditional and contemporary art. The Gallery has played a major role in enhancing awareness of Pakistani art by exposing artists abroad and curating shows of local and international artists.

BRIEF INTRODUCTION: Jamila Zaidi was one of the first Pakistanis to study art at the Slade School of Fine Art in London.

She established departments of visual arts at universities in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar, and taught generations of artists, the likes of which include SalimaHashmi, Saeed Akhtar and Zahoor-ulAkhlag.

Ustad Allah Buksh (1895-1978) was a wellknown early modern artist who painted diverse mythological depictions of rural life of Pakistan. He was the man who immortalized our pastoral life, and especially of Punjabthe land where he was born in 1885 in the small town of Wazirabad.

Under the guidance of another maestro Meeran Buksh, Ustad Allah Bux started exploring and practicing Persian and European traditions.

Anna Molka Ahmed (1917-1994), a passionate artist, professor, director and moving spirit behind the Fine Arts Department of the Punjab University Lahore, was a driving force behind the first institution that wasopenedtothewomenartistsinPakistan.

She studied painting, sculpture and design at St. Martin School of Arts, London.

Shakir Ali (1975-1914) was an influential modern artist and teacher who became the first Muslim principal of the National College of Arts (then Mayo School of Art) in 1962 where he joined as a lecturer in 1954. He was widely known to have inspired cubism among the artists of Lahore; he had a huge following of artists in Pakistan, most of whom were his students including Jamil Naqsh, Bashir Mirza and Ahmed Parvez.

Abdur Rahman Chughtai (18971975) was a painter and an intellectual from Pakistan, who created his own unique, distinctive painting style influence d by Mughal art, miniature painting etc. He is considered `the first significant modern Muslim artist from South Asia and the national artist of Pakistan.

Anwar Jalal Shemza (1928-1985) was one of the first Pakistani artiststo use calligraphy as pure form. It appears that he was introducing a trend already popular in Europe but originally inspired by the art of the Middle East and South Asia.

Ahmed Parvez (1926-1979) was one of the most remarkable artists produced by Pakistan and he received widespread acclaim in Pakistan and abroad. From his first solo exhibition in 1952 to his last in 1979, he passed through many phases as a painter, but his work remained marked with energy.

Khalid Iqbal (1929-2014), a prominent landscape artist, academic and former principal of National College of Arts, being a naturalist instead of realist, kept on exploring the subtle and pacified shades of oil paints by diluting them in more and more turpentine oil within his representational palette.Naseem Hafiz Qazi (1928-1995), popularly known as Ms Qazi, was born in Wazirabad and got her early education in Quetta. Later, she shifted to Lahore and obtained her BA and Postgraduate degree from Lahore College for Women. During the period 1945 to 1990 she taught in various institutes of Pakistan and later becameheadof departmentofLahore College alongside her own personal practice in field of visual arts.

Moyene Najmi (1928-1997) was one of the founding members of the Lahore Arts Council and the only member to continue painting in Lahore. Later, he became director and driving force of the council.

Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi (1923-1987)wasarenownedPakistani artist, best known for his skills as a calligrapher and a painter.