Life in the Landscape
Qasim Bashir feels the spirit of the landscape and creates a story through his paintings
Qasim Bashir feels the spirit of the landscape and creates a story through his paintings
Landscape is one of my favorite subjects to paint. During my childhood when I saw landscapes or art books with painted landscapes I tried to replicate the work and create my own imaginary world. It takes me to this makebelieve idea of capturing moments on canvas forever. To begin with, I initially sort out colors to make a range so that I can easily identify my color palette. My reference comes from nature and I am continuously in the habit of taking photos that I then redraw on canvas. When I visit a place I take multiple photographs from various angles— at that point they are just random pictures captured by a tourist. After that I sit and analyze those pictures based on their color balancing and composition depending on the frame captured and the depth. It intrigues me to paint so many levels on a flat surface and create this illusion of perspective. I particularly focus on proportions and love to play around with the illusion of depth creating wonderful perspectives. My paintings reflect time and narrate a story— somewhere something happened and the landscapes stood throughout to witness those times hence keeping in mind the concept of “forever.” I usually mix my colors on canvas to achieve the particular
tones needed. This mixing of colors on the canvas relates to the idea of evolving and achieving, and I believe I have been in this state too. I went through a few changes with my art and more exactly with myself. My insides have been yearning for my art to breathe and let the viewer see and feel what I feel. I have always tried to make my artworks better; it has been a process but I believe I have finally attained what I wished for. It took me a long time to find my own narrative and here I am. My demonstration painting titled Cold Weather in the Mountains is about the feelings that happen when seeing the landscape. In Pakistan, the northern areas experience a static life because of the extreme cold temperature. Through my painting, I wish to narrate a time when the sun sets, snow changes its color embedded on the mountains and this deep darkness begins to appear on the hills. It’s amazing to see the effect of light on snow, which reflects multiple shades of black and grey. The main part of my artwork lies with the old man seated beside the fire and his relationship with the aag (fire); it is just too comforting. I tried to capture his calm and soothing expression; intended with his life and where he is. Thus, narrating a story for the onlooker to see.