Indian artist captures Expo 2020 glory on canvas

Dubai: A Dubai-based Indian artist has depicted the UAE’s successful Expo 2020 bid on canvas.

Akbar Saheb, 50, has come up with a bewitching oil and acrylic painting showcasing the country’s exponential growth and the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Even as the country waited with bated breath for the announcement on Wednesday, the father of three was busy giving the final touches to his 10x5-foot artwork.

The painting features a portrait of Shaikh Mohammad next to a very prominent UAE map juxtaposed on the world atlas. A UAE flag towers in its centre.

“This is my humble tribute to the country where I have spent the best years of my life,” Saheb says. It took him three months to complete the painting.

“The UAE is home to hundreds of nationalities. But now it is poised to make history. The dynamic leadership and vision of our Ruler have put the UAE on the world map. And this is what I have tried to portray,” he says.

An illustrator at an advertising agency by day and an artist by night, Saheb has converted one of his bedrooms into a studio. It’s here that he spends most of his time after office hours. Over the years, Saheb has done over 400 paintings. But his best works centre around the UAE where he relocated from Karnataka about 17 years ago. Among them is a series of 38 paintings celebrating 38 years of the late President Shaikh Zayed’s rule. “I worked on it from 1996 to 2004. I have a regular job so it was not easy. I worked late nights, through my weekends and annual leaves. For seven years I didn’t go to India so I could complete the series.”

Saheb’s other recent works include a series of seven paintings of Shaikh Mohammad. “Living in the UAE, I have witnessed first hand the dynamism and vision of our great ruler. He is an inspiration for all of us and the way he fearlessly takes up challenges is really remarkable. It is these qualities that I have tediously captured in a special series of paintings dedicated to the Ruler of Dubai,” he explains.

The series is aptly called Visions. The paintings are done with acrylic colour and measure 60x48 inches each.

Curiously, Saheb has never exhibited or sold any of his paintings.

“That thought never occurred to me. I paint for myself and for my own pleasure. My paintings are like family,” he says, running his hand at one of the many artworks that adorn his living room.

“I want everybody to see them but I will feel sad if I have to sell them.”