Hajra Mansoor
Ms Mansoor graduated from Government College of Art and Craft, Lucknow in 1964 before migrating to Karachi. She established the first private sector art school in her home which was named the Karachi School of Art. Over the years, it has grown into a major art institution which has produced many well-known artists of the country. Ms Mansoor and her husband, Mansoor Rahi moved to Islamabad in the 1980s and the couple have been active in the art life here since. Ms Mansoor is inspired by traditional art and blends it with modern aesthetics. She derives her inspirations from Asian ideals of beauty and focuses on promoting and enhancing them by exaggerating the features like big, coloured eyes, very clear skin with a tinge of pink and delicate lips along with articulating hand gestures. Ms Mansoor does not use models for her paintings, each of which depicts a moment in the tale of love.