IN 2004, he received a letter from Barack Obama, the then Democratic nominee for the US Senate, thanking him for an oil portrait that he had made of Obama. Mohammed Rafique, a Pakistani artist in Jeddah, now plans to make another portrait of the man who is soon to be the US president. A “painting”, he says, “is a sophisticated but difficult task which involves giving lively expression to the art and making it as clear as photography.” He started his career in 1957 and specializes in portrait painting. Rafique displays his work at an art gallery in Balad at the Corniche Commercial Center. He can be spotted there with brushes, often pondering over his thoughts and translating them onto the canvas. Rafique said that his philosophy of art is such that he cannot paint on smaller frames. Some of his canvases are as large as 10 ft. by 14 ft. “In the last 45 years, the awareness and aspiration for art among Saudis and expatriates has increased. Competition in this field has also toughened in the Kingdom because of which we need to bring more techniques into our art,” he said. Rafique, who has lived in the Kingdom for 35 years, has numerous portraits of famous world leaders and personalities to his credit. “I do not work on abstract art nor do I hold any exhibitions. I work for myself and for the people who admire my work,” he said. At a glance, one cannot distinguish his paintings from pictures shot in a photo studio. “People don't believe that these are paintings,” Rafique quipped. The artist specializes in the Korean art form. “It is different as the painting is done on silk, which comes from Korea,” he said. Korea is noted for its traditional art forms, such as, pottery, music, calligraphy, and other genres, often marked by the use of bold colors, natural forms, and surface decorations. Rafique said that the younger generation of Pakistani artists should benefit from the senior artists of the country. He trains “young boys and girls who are interested in art. They are taught according to their personalities,” he said. “Whoever aspires to learn should take up this art. But if he wants to be an artist just for the sake of it, then he would be better off in another field rather than wasting his time as an artist,” Rafique said.
