Sublime and surrealistic works

An article by Mian Naeem

Riaz Khan was a skinny and undernourished boy who thought he could not do hard work to earn his living. He decided to be a professional artist and joined a design studio. It was his first exposure to professional life.
He took drawing classes at the Lahore Arts Council in 1982 and had the privilege to learn the basics of drawing from Khalid Iqbal, Colin David, Madam Qazi and Iqbal Hussain.
Khalid Iqbal advised him to join National College of Arts, but he preferred continuing professional practice and got a job at Hawk Advertising Agency, a subsidiary of the PAF, in 1984. Squadron leader Abdul Qayyum Hijazi, who was art director at the agency, gave a turning point to his career. Under the guidance of a multi-dimensional and creative art director, he learnt the fundamentals of designing and illustration. He also learnt the basics of calligraphy from renowned calligrapher Zahoor Nazim to enhance his skills.
After leaving the advertising agency in 1990, he joined The Nation as a designer. He worked there for three years and set up his own design studio. Book illustrations and designing became his specialization. He deviates from the existing design concepts and works with sublime and surrealistic ideas. Working as a book cover designer for three decades, he has more than three thousand designs to his credit.
He is inspired by colourful works of Tanveer Murshid and skilled drawings of Colin David. The works of Dali are his all-time favourite and he is trying to paint in the style and technique of Abdur Rehman Chughtai. He is also working on his literary work, Asbaq-e-Muhabat, a novel which is in final stages. He was born to a family of traditional physicians (Hakeems) on Nisbat Road, Lahore, in 1959. He received his early education at a local school in Gawalmandi, but could not continue his studies because of the death of his parents. After leaving school, Dyal Singh Public Library became his second home. It served him as an institution. He studied various genres of literature and Russian literature became his favourite. He believes Russian literary masterpieces are still the best in the world.


Author: (c) Mian Naeem
Art Critique
Lahore, Pakistan.