Representation of Female "Figure and Character" in Art and Literature of Pakistan

Female figure has always been in the limelight in the works of artists and authors, who commented on the society, collective Psyche and behavioral changes through gradual evaluation of centuries. First in Subcontinent and subsequently in Pakistan, due to great influence of Hindu Mythology women have been depicted either as goddesses or witches, in accordance to their relationship to the class they abode in.

In Pakistan, Art & Literature depicted woman as the tragic icon. In 1947, during cruel process of genocide she became the target of violence, all this changed the concept of her personality, and during each freedom movement she had to endure all the consequences.

In Art, Ustad Allah Baksh, in his mystic, supernatural and metaphysical paintings like Talism-e-Hoshruba, portrayed women as angels, fairies or witches. Afterwards under the mixed influence of Art and Literary movements, Realism, Romanticism, Expressionism, Impressionism, Symbolism, Cubism, and Humanism, woman became the symbol of glamour and sensuality. Shakir Ali