Art from across the border
VISTAS Ghulam Rasul's trademark landscap.
Art travels and imbibes the influences from different countries. Still it retains its individuality, its culture. For past one year, Delhi has been witnessing various art exhibitions where artists from another city, or even country, have shown their works. Recently, two important exhibitions were held at The Park hotel and Habiart Gallery, where Pakistani artists showed their works.
Artfully Peaceful, an exhibition of famous artists in Pakistan's art circle as Gulgee, Eqbal Mehdi, Jamil Naqsh, Nahid Raza, Ijazul Hasan, Wahab Jaffer, Najmi Sura and so on was brought to Delhi by Jack Daniel's Foundation for Art and Culture. The exhibition proved to be an eye opener for art lovers in Delhi not well versed with the art in Pakistan. Where on one hand it had veterans like Eqbal Mehdi truly representing Pakistani culture, on the other it had second-generation artists like Nahid Raza, whose works, mainly nude women, expressed a desire to break free from tradition. Mehdi's women and old men were a refreshing change from what we call western modernism, read abstract. "Unless you relive your culture on your canvas, how can you immortalise it? Who will know after several years, how Pakistan looked like some 50 years ago? So I paint real men and women, places and festivals," reasons Mehdi.
While Nahid Raza, principal of an art college in Pakistan, says, "Remember, there is always a difference between a nude and a naked. We women painters always wanted to paint nude. We did too. But never exhibited. We had fewer avenues. Even Karachi University had no art department. It came up some four years ago. There were no good private galleries either. Government galleries were few and far between and had their own set of rules for exhibition. Those having art galleries were mainly framers. Ever since art education found its way into Pakistan, it helped awareness about art among the middle class. People started buying Hussain. Regular exhibition of Indian artists in Pakistan and vice versa also helped the cause. Now, most art galleries are owned by housewives. These are not just regular rich women but those who know art. Middle-aged Nahid's nude women, is an expression of women's desire to break free. "My woman is no longer a doormat. She has her own identity. She is no longer a victim but a victor," she asserts.
Eqbal Mehdi's traditional Pakistani woman.
But then, unfortunately Nahid's canvases don't seem represent Pakistan. They could be of anyone, from any country. Same goes with the first generation abstract artists from Pakistan, Gulgee, Wahab Jaffer, Jamil Naqsh and Mashqoor Raza. Ijaz ul Hasan's canvases do blend thematically and quite beautifully Pakistan's traditional art form and modernism. A few of his surrealism works help us understand what's going on in Pakistan's political, social and economic life.
Tradition on canvas
Delhi also saw a well-publicised exhibition of Ghulam Rasul, an eminent Pakistani artist, a recipient of The President Award for Pride of Performance, and his daughter Maryam Rasul. While Ghulam Rasul is a famous name because of his breathtakingly beautiful landscapes from Pakistan, Maryam despite being influenced by European artists doesn't forget to paint her own country. Her works talk of roadside cafes, people in the villages gathering in the evening, a lonely woman and so on. Says Ghulam, "I am greatly inspired by nature. It has tranquillity and peace. When I started painting, there was no concept of painting as such. So my parents didn't like me painting. I ran away from the house. I took Van Gogh for inspiration in my colours. Initially when I made figures, Islamic fundamentalists opposed it a lot. They said, Figures are not allowed in Islam. If you are making it, then put life in them.' Now people come to us demanding figures."
On painting culture he says, "If you want to be alive in the history, you must preserve your country and its culture in whatever way you can."
RANA SIDDIQUI
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