40 Art Work by Shahid Rana Mix Media on Canvas

Shahid Rana
Mix Media on Canvas Code 40
24×24 in
Code 40

Since i was very young, I have had a deep passion for art. My work explores the universal values of love, faith, prayer, beauty and divinity. In the synthesis of these emotions and pictograms, with Holy lettering, I have developed my own unique style of calligraphy. In my fusion of  colors, dots, lines and words, I construct new modes of expression based on traditional Arabic writing.

I come from a family of calligraphers, but I am not satisfied with the repetition of traditional styles of calligraphy. Instead, I envision and then create a style that is exclusively modern. In my art works, I incorporate gold and silver leaf with acrylics on canvas, and use new modern calligraphic style.

In my calligraphic paintings, every color has a unique quality and meaning. Black represents hajr-e-aswad, the black stone, which forms the centre of the Kaaba. Red is life; green is for Islamic traditions; and blue represents the infinite sky and spiritual existence. Gold and silver are the supreme realm of Allah.

As an artist and a thinker, I wish to align aesthetics in art and morals. My artistic manifesto is to inspire a modern art movement which will challenge all cheap, plastic imitations. I also wish to promote a new wave of artistic creation here in Pakistan and in other Muslim countries. This would encourage private individuals to buy these original paintings, and display them, with great pride, in their homes.