The Green Palette

Pakistan has inherited many things from the colonial rule when it became the sovereign state on 14th August 1947 as there was no source of developed knowledge and information other than what the rulers have adopted for themselves.

The Britons took control of a state which was very much a monarchist, but when they left, it had to adopt the all famous democratic system of politics, the throne where once the emperors used to sit, fastened the governor general and prime ministers for times to come. The army, social institutions, music, sports, couture, cuisine, architecture and administration, or in other words, all walks of life had absorbed and were displaying a prolific plethora of post colonial western influence as it was considered the best and the most appropriate one owing to its association with the ruling and powerful class.

The language embraced the modern and non traditional style due to a total extrication from Persian, and partially from Arabic, the languages which had remained a mark of distinction and wisdom for the Muslim community, from Neil to Kashghar. Modern Muslims, especially after being put in status with the modern politics by virtue of entirely new and liberal policies of Mohammedan Anglo Indian Conference and the academics of Aligarh College, which later became a university, were well aware of the new philosophy, psychology, architecture, sciences and all other branches of literature and arts, this class actually took over after the birth of new state Pakistan on 14th of August 1947.

Therefore, what we introduced to Pakistani arts in common was mostly an inspiration of western modern art of the early 20th century; the fragments of post-modern American or post-war European art.

What was there in Lahore in early days of Pakistan? Anna Molka Ahmed, a migrated artist from UK who also cradled the first generation of Pakistani artists at Fine Arts Department of Punjab University that she had founded in 1939 which also produced the first batch of four teachers who later shaped early years of Pakistani art, they were Nasim Qazi, Zakia Malik, Razia Feroz and Anwar Afzal.

On the other hand, there was Zubeda Agha, who was trained at BC Sanial’s studio in her early days and later she got educated in the west so, she was under immense influence of western style and technique, Zubeda rejected the traditional painting style and emerged as the first modernistic colorist despite resistance from the native critique.

At the same time Anna Molka, was trying to capture the indigenous topics related to religion and folklore but since she was an expressionist in her technique, the local fauna and flora got ablaze after being expressed through the ‘knife and palette’ technique of her, who at times, just squeezed the color tube on the canvas and dragged it with her knife to get the desired spontaneity and embossed texture, therefore what she produced was aboriginal in subject but very much western in terms of technique.

Given that the native style was attributed to the Mughal school of Miniature painting that later got popularity up on the hill states of Himachal Pardesh (Basohli, Chamba, Guler, Kangra and Bilaspur) since the Sikh era. Ustad Sharif was one of the exponents of the court style painting owing to the long association of his forefathers to the royal court of Patiala, a sikh state of Punjab. Ustad Sharif imparted his knowledge and passed on the ultimate skills of book illumination and illustration first at the Department of Fine Arts and later at Mayo School of Arts (NCA).

Another Ustad, Allah Buksh, in the line of traditional and realistic style of the east, contributed to the infancy of Pakistani painting. Allah Buksh painted the rich culture and folklore along with a touch of romanticism in subject especially when he put on canvas the folk love-stories like Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal and at the same time he under the influences of modern art and romantic painters of the west, put on show the mystic canvasses like that of “Talism-i Hoshruba” a frame seemed inspired of Delacroix’s canvases with dark and inexplicable ambiance around the well crafted human figures.

During this process of evolution, the miniature painting was breathing at Calcutta, where Abhiander Nath Taygore was a great proponent of the guash technique which got its climax in Lahore by the free flowing hand of Abd al-Rehman Chughtai. Other than Chughtai, no one could, actually retain the standards of that lyrical line-quality, soft layers of diffused pigments and the traditional subjects, although few tried to get acquainted to the technique, but the wisdom and education, Chughtai acquired in the field of art locally and from abroad, and the intelligentsia around him in the shape of his renowned friends, made him the sole example of a style of his own in miniature painting; the Chughtai Style.

Later, Pakistan was spell bound by a Magician from Bengal, Sadequian: a painter with theatrical qualities, dramatic themes and very crude line quality that hatched the texture within the frame to give vent to the philosophical and poetic themes the artist was inspired at a great level. The urge to communicate loudly and more clearly made Sadequian to switch to calligraphic painting which later became his identity and got displayed on the large scales like the ceilings and murals at the Lahore museum and Mangla Dam respectively. Ismail Gulgee was the other advertiser for calligraphic painting style which, being conceived as “Islamic Art” contrary to the figurative one, attained popularity in the religious groups, ultimately widening the market and scope for a certain type of art in unfavorable circumstances, especially under the military-Islamic rule of eighties.

If we look upon the academic inspirations, other than Anna Molka, we may find Shakir Ali standing tall and exclusive in the scene with his very simple and rhythmic paintings in flat shades of reds, oranges and blues and varied lines. His textures within the flat color areas were simple but masterly fashioned and skillfully balanced. His presence at the National College of Arts made many to follow him in acquiring new and modern techniques he had his hands on, during his academic stay at London.

In western art, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin are taken, subsequently as, fathers of Cubism, Expressionism and Fauvism. On this pattern we could divide Pakistani art in three dimensions, the followers of Chughtai, Sadeqauin and Shakir Ali. But since the latter one was the principal and teacher of a renowned institution, his impact was more than anyone. For that reason, we could see his followers in the shape of Panj Piyare (the five loved-ones), on the pattern of Akbar’s Navratna (Nine Jewels), and numerous others. Another reason of this popularity was the style and themes, Shakir introduced to the new generation of late sixties and early seventies, more practical and corporeal in execution, even to depict the most abstract and intangible ideas, contrary to the miniatures of Chughtai or the poetically thematic canvases of Sadequain.

Pakistani institutes imparted education on western lines while the old masters of native styles, mostly took their art to their graves with a little exception of a few number of students.

Ahmed Pervez and Shamza are names who contributed towards the collective shape of Pakistani art on the grounds of their individual style, but some others made a difference at greater degree. Khalid Iqbal is one, who could be called as the maestro in landscape painting, with his local colours and western technique of creating enchanting foregrounds and depth in the backgrounds by virtue of his control of tonalities formed through diffusing shades; natural rendering was, what compelled many to take inspiration from him. His presence at the NCA academically inspired a generation under his fatherly attitude. His immersed but yet soft canvases recorded the different shades of Pakistani soil.

Saeed Akhtar, was another talented graduate from NCA, a draftsman of competency who solved his drawing problems by adopting and applying the observations, he came across while molding sculptures, a way to get adept in three dimensional figurative and portrait painting, which later became his mark of respect.

Zahoor al-Akhlaq, with his philosophical and abstract approach, strengthened the conceptual foundation of modern art in Pakistan.

Punjab University produced Collin David, the most talented and undoubtedly the most controversial student of Anna Molka for numerous reasons, but a wonderful draftsman with divine linearity, he was blessed with. His figurative work showed his anatomical expertise that enabled him to introduce Pakistani art with the flair, if I would be allowed to exaggerate a bit, of Ruben and Raphael.

Zulqarnain Haider, started as an extension of Khalid Iqbal, with landscape painting in almost the similar style, but gradually, the Kashmiri restless blood accepted new challenges that nature put ahead of him in changing light, intervening twigs and stretched earth, he captured them from his feet to the vanishing point at horizon, or even beyond.

English Literature was that made Ejaz al-Hassan to think and act in accordance with the new ideologies that were in vogue in the seventies, his thematic and radical paintings based on communist doctrine disturbed the sound sleep in the upper halls. But he dug out the fragile soil of Pakistani land with the ‘red scythe’ and sowed the seed of yellow “Amaltas” tree.

Iqbal Hussian threw light on the burning and rotten issues related to an abode of notoriety; the red light area. His portraits, figures and cityscapes might take you to the seeping alleys which had never been accepted by anyone.

On the other hand, Ghulam Mustafa crafted a labyrinth comprised of the narrow and shady paths of walled city and the lush green mountains of the northern areas with his soft pastels on the textured surface of pastel-sheets or on the well stretched large areas of coarse canvas with oils.

Bashir Ahmed, in the department of fine arts at NCA, strived to restore the tradition of Miniature painting, a true skill coupled with the lost glory of the Mughals.

With torches in the hands of all mentioned above, there were many who along with them passed on the green palette to the new generation of painters by stepping into the 21st century.