| The past and the future are co-joined in the present, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the work of Raheel Akbar Javed. A Pakistani by birth and an American national by choice, a psychologist by training and a painter by vocation, Raheel’s past and future are seamlessly connected with his awareness of the present. |
| It would be tempting to search for clues in his paintings of his multi-layered identity. Students of art-history and scholars concerned with the identification of milestones in the development of Pakistan, particularly through the 1960s when Raheel first exhibited his works, will find this volume a rich quarry, for here is the first permanent retrospective exhibition of Raheels’ significant works. |
| In them, certain themes remain as constant as a signature – the dome, the minimalist architecture, the daring use of colour – but throughout is a perceptible link that connects Raheel with his country of origin and with his present – wherever he may be. |
| The divisions in this book do not reflect the compartments of his life. They cannot, for no artist lives his life in finite segments. They reflect instead his continuing awareness of the present and its correlation with the past. They mirror on the canvas the disparate elements and nourishing influences in his rich and varied life. |
| Whatever inspiration Raheel could have absorbed from his mentors like Shakir Ali in Pakistan, he did so in his early years. Since then, after his migration to the United States his connection with Pakistan has been at one remove and might have remained so had he not been driven to assemble this aggregation of his works, for through this he will be able to underscore the vital link between himself with his past but more importantly connect as an artist with future generations of Pakistani artists who will now be able to appreciate the craft, talent and creativity of one of its most distinguished exports. |
