ISLAMABAD: The National Art Gallery (NAG) presented over 150 original and exclusive works, depicting both traditional and contemporary calligraphy, on Wednesday.

The National Exhibition of Calligraphy, which is held annually during Ramazan, allowed the visitors to explore a broad range of styles in Islamic calligraphy. Most of the artists had used water colours and oil paints as their mediums for exhibiting their extraordinary imagination.

As many as 161 pieces of calligraphic artworks, aesthetically inscribed with selected verses from the holy Quran, have been showcased in galleries I and II and the main hall of NAG, which were just as warm and humid as outdoors after the cooling system of the gallery had malfunctioned.

In the calligraphers` works, the audience could see beautiful compositions, written in Kufi, Naskh and Nastaleeg, which are some of the different styles of Arabic calligraphy.

According to the gallery administration, the exhibition highlighted the continuity of calligraphic tradition, dating back to the time of the caliphs Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar. This tradition has been carefully nurtured and enriched in various Islamic lands, particularly Pakistan where it is a part of the country`s primary cultural heritage.

`The National Exhibition of Calligraphy is an attempt to keep the tradition alive and acknowledge the dedication and commitment of the calligraphers, who are continuously practicing this art form, and inculcating interest among the people about this magnificent art form,` said Director General Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) Syed Intikhab Alam, on the opening day.

The display was marked by both traditional and modern styles. While the works of Hafiz Mohammad Yousaf Sadidi, Asma Noreen, Khurshid Alam, Gohar Ragam and Elahi Bux Matee centre around a traditional approach, where text is more obvious, Imran Sultan, Tayyab Munawar and Aftab Zafar are among some of the contemporary artists, who use aesthetics and colours more than the text which is usually hidden in intricate patterns and geometric designs.

The display highlighted the need for preservation and endorsement of traditional calligraphy, which, as most artists believe, is in a state of decline.

Among other prominent artists wereBushra Zeeshan, Aslam Kamal, Aftab Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Azee Iqbal, A jab Khan, Ahmed Khan, Ibrahim Haneef Ramay, Arif Khan, Rana Riaz Ahmed, Munawar Islam and Saeed Akhtar, besidesseveral other emerging artists.

`This is a grand display, some of the most respected and emerging artists can be found under the same roof,` said art student Muniza Khan.According to another visitor, the uninhibited approaches of contemporary artists added a modern touch to calligraphy, while maintaining profundity and Quranic inscriptions.