Qudsia Nisar
Qudsia Nisar | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pakistan |
| Died | April 27, 2021 Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Years active | c. 1976–2021 |
| Style | watercolour painting, abstract art |
| Awards | Pride of Performance |
Qudsia Azmat Nisar (died 27 April 2021) was a pioneering Pakistani watercolour painter and art educator. She is credited with introducing modern abstract approaches to watercolour painting in Pakistan.
Early life and career
Details of Qudsia's early life and formal education are not widely documented.[1] Her career in art and education spanned about 45 years. She became known for producing non-figurative, modern abstract works in watercolour, a medium that in Pakistan had been predominantly used for still life, landscapes, seascapes, and figurative scenes.[2]
Qudsia's work incorporated layered abstract imagery, varied forms, colour experimentation, and tonal variation. According to critic Syed Amjad Ali, her work expanded the possibilities of watercolour in a manner comparable to the changes modern painters brought to oil painting. Art critic Marjorie Husain described her work as "invigorating' and an example of a different way of approaching the medium.[3]
Her paintings were exhibited in Pakistan and aboard, including in the United States, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Egypt, China, Oman, and Nepal. Her work is cited in at least 14 art books by authors such as Salima Hashmi, Quddus Mirza, Mian Ijazul Hassan, Mohammad Jami, Salwat Ali, and Wuang Shuang Shung. She was also the subject of several documentary films produced in Pakistan and the United States, although the specific films remain unknown.[2]
Academic career
From 1977 to around 1992, Qudsia served as a lecturer and head of the Department of Fine Arts at the University of the Punjab, Lahore. Between 1992 and 2000, she was principal of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi. She later served as chairperson of the Department of Fine Arts at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur from 2006 to 2010. Qudsia also taught at Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro.[4]
Awards
In 2018, Qudsia received the Presidential Pride of Performance award for her contributions to painting and art education.[5] In 2016, she was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Mehran University.[4]
Death
Qudsia had been ill for several months before her death. In March 2021, she moved from Karachi to Islamabad to stay with her brother. She died there on 27 April 2021 and was buried the following day.[4]
References
- ^ Jabbar, Javed (2021-05-12). "Pakistan's foremost watercolour painter and an educator to thousands of artists". Images. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ a b Jabbar, Javed (2021-05-09). "IN MEMORIAM: REQUIEM FOR QUDSIA AZMAT NISAR". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Artist Qudsia Nisar dies in Islamabad". DAWN.COM. 2021-05-05. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ a b c Subhani, Mushtaq (2021-05-06). "Eminent painter Qudsia Nisar remembered". The News International. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN CABINET SECRETARIAT (CABINET DIVISION) PR No.92 Islamabad: March 14, 2018 CONFERMENT OF PAKISTAN CIVIL AWARDS -2017". PID. 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2025-08-15.