Zakia Dil Malik also known as Zakia Malik Sheikh is regarded as one of the pioneering women artists of Pakistan. Born in Lahore, she emerged at a time when a very few women were active in the country's professional art circles. From the outset, she gravitated towards portrait painting, working primarily in oils and became known for her sensitive and carefully observed depictions of the human face. In 1943, Malik enrolled in the Arts Department at the University of the Punjab, Lahore, for her intermediate studies. She continued her training there completed both her graduate and postgraduate diplomas in Fine Arts in 1948. Soon afterwards, she joined the same department as...