Dr Wasif’s paintings truly depict lockdown plight
By Zaib Azkaar Hussain
Karachi
The latest paintings and sketches of Artist Dr Syed Ali Wasif made under the title of “Surviving Lockdown Covid-19” sounds truly unique and heart-touching.
The zealous artistic work has been done during a very critical juncture of time. At a time when people have been thrown in isolation due to the lockdown factor and the threat of a deadly virus is on the cards as no one knew who could be caught by a deadly virus in near future and who would be spared.
The observation of a great existentialist philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre has lost its worth that the man was the only choice to enjoy freedom (He had stated that man has been condemned to be free) and create meaning in his life but all chances of creation of meaning have been lost in present times.
The people (throughout the world) are being forced to maintain social distancing for their own safety. Besides wearing a mask and following other necessary standard operating procedure (SOPs) have become the part of the man’s life.
In other words the survival of a single human being is interconnected or conditioned with the survival of others. Every individual has to take care of his another individual. In these critical days the question of getting rid of the deadly virus lies in staying to at homes.
Dr Ali Wasif has captured and explored the real concerns and unsaid views of the detained people. The people who fear from going out of their homes and also fear of those intended to visit them. How interesting is the fact that people do fear from visitors and avoid to meet anyone.
Dr Ali Wasif has brought to light the fears, emotions, grief and agony of the confined people. The people have put themselves under a kind of solitary confinement and the effects and consequences of this detention have been painted by Dr Ali Wasif in different art forms. The faces and other body parts of the characters pained either in an abstract manner or under the device of surrealist expression, say a lot in terms of physical and psychological effects.
Dr Ali Wasif knows the inns and outs of the affairs and has all artistic skills abd expertise to capture the silence and woes of the people without the expression or demonstration of such emotions and feelings People don’t speak but their actions, their silence, their eyes and their behaviour speak a lot in the colours, drawings and strokes of Dr Ali Wasif in his paintings and sketches. Of course in his paintings and sketches, Dr Ali Wasif has succeeded to cover the complexities and trauma generated by dangerous Covid-19. Ends
