Pakistani Art, History, and Folktales

Capstone gave me the opportunity and time to explore all my different interests. Through exploration, I was able to realize my true passion for art and history. During the process, I discovered a lot about myself as a person and what I would like to pursue in the future.

My interests in art, history, and my culture were intertwined with many ideas for my Capstone project. I started the process by researching Islam. After this, I wanted to create a comic explaining what I had learned. When I realized that this did not interest me enough, I thought of creating art based on music. Finally, I decided to combine all of my interests into one project. I researched art techniques and styles from the Mughal period in India along with popular folktales of Pakistan. With this research, I created a painting recreating a scene from one of the most popular Punjabi folk tales called “Sassi Punnu” about two lovers. 

While working on this project I’ve gained so much knowledge. I  learned a lot and gained experience in reaching out to and talking with experts in the art fields. I met with Dr. Sonya Rhie Mace and Dr. Murad Khan Mumtaz who helped me establish my ideas, find resources, and discover inspirational artists. I learned a ton of new things from my research. My final project and painting are a culmination of all this knowledge. Capstone allowed me to do a lot of self reflection on my true interests. After finding these passions, I’ve become more enthusiastic and really want to pursue my project further. Capstone has given me the inspiration to continue bringing my ideas to life!