Painter, Sculptor Afsar Naqvi Remembered

Painter, sculptor Afsar Naqvi remembered

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th August, 2016) : One of the twentieth century's famous sculptors Syed Afsar Madad Naqvi was remembered on Wednesday on the occasion of his birth anniversary. He is best known for his pure realistic monumental sculptures which can be seen in many places around the country such as Roshan Khan/Jahangir Khan Squash Complex, Fleet Club, Arts Council of Pakistan, Markaz-e-Sadaat-e-Amroha Centre, Hasan Square Karachi, Star Gate Karachi, Quaid-e-Azam International Airport. He was a founder member of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts Karachi. Afsar Madad Naqvi was born in 1933 at Amroha, India.

He got Diploma and Post-diploma from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow, India. He was trained under renowned sculptor Mohammad Hanif at Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts in the early 60's. He was one of the few qualified sculptors who could teach the techniques of making life-size armature, simple casting and multiple casting with permanent moulds.

He worked with great ease and facility in metals, wood, cement, plaster of Paris, marble, stone and clay. He came to Pakistan in 1962 and shortly after that and had a solo show at the Karachi Arts Council Hall, which was also the country's first solo sculpture exhibition.

Afsar Naqvi was sculptor, traditionalist, loyal friend and affectionate teacher.[citation needed] He had a huge following of artists in Pakistan, most of whom were his students. His acute observation of detail, timeless dedication to craftsmanship and the innate soul of a master allows him to breathe life into any work of art from delicate pencil sketch to monumental sculptures and that is truly make him one of the world's top artists. He was highly skilled in his craft, his long finger nimbly created small figurines in clay while he carried on with his discussions, as if they had a life of their own.

While fame eluded him as a Master Sculptor his skills earned high great respect and his advise was always sought in technical matters, for which he was seldom financially compensated. Afsar Naqvi's vision and aesthetics was indelibly etched into his own creative expression and his drive to achieve the same level of perfection in his master work. He was specialized in portrature, mural work, and terra-cotta.

He has done a lot of master piece sculptures in wood, metal, plaster, cement and terra-cotta. He died on January 11, 1997 in Karachi at the age of 63.