Written by: Shameen Arshad
Posted on: October 08, 2020 | 
Sadequain's Calligraphy
Pakistan has been blessed with immense artistic talent; since Independence, artists have provided works impregnated with content and aesthetically constructed narratives. Trying to recall numerous names that made substantial contribution to Pakistani art would render this piece way too long. However, a modest attempt can be made to discuss some creative individuals that left indelible marks on the Pakistani art scene.
The first name that comes to mind is Sadequain: a complete Renaissance man, well versed in poetry, painting and an astute judge of the social-political milieu of the country. He was a prolific artist, creating thousands of images in his lifetime, using numerous mediums and subjects. His fanatical pursuit of art was evident in his fruitful career, and in moments where he would gesticulate in mid-air pretending that he was working on paper.
Head vi, sadequain
Born in the 1923 in Amroha, Sadequain started working before Partition in the 1940’s and continued to be prolific until his death in 1987. Based on his socio-political observations, his works served as astute readings of the human condition. He stayed mindful of his social responsibility as an artist citizen which can be seen in “Saga of Labour”, a mural that showed the plight of the working class.
The artist’s work is inundated with symbolism such as in the “Cactus Series”. The plant represents the tough, persevering spirit that he felt humans should possess to withstand hardships, and another being cobwebs that represented the decay of the society due to mindless acquiescence to the state.
Sadequain’s fascination with the written word is evident in his image, whether it possessed a narrative quality or if script made up the image itself. His works were inspired by the words of Ghalib and Camus. He referred to himself as an artist “belonging in the gutter”, instead of in the living rooms of the “westernized” elite. He wanted to cater to the common people, thus, he created numerous coal drawings on public walls and murals in civic buildings. The artist, disinterested in monetary gain, refused to sell his works, and often gave them away as gifts. Furthermore, he commissioned works for Lahore Museum, Frere Hall and Hamdard University gratis.
The Ceiling of Frere Hall
Sadequain’s practice consisted of many contradictory elements. Though he largely adopted calligraphy as a medium, the national aesthetic at the time of Islamization, he did so with great influences from European Modernism and Indo-Persian Sufism. His rebellious spirit is also visible in the “Scare Crow Series”, an act of resistance against Martial Law through the fusion of Islamic script with slightly erotic, figurative illustrations. Thus, Sadequain’s ability to tow the lines of propriety set by the state without compromising on the content of his work, allowed him to work unfettered by different political regimes.
Zubeida Agha is another key player in developing the Pakistani art scene. Pairing her knowledge of philosophy, classical Western music, mysticism, and fascination for urban spaces, made her life about exploring the modernist style of painting. Unlike her contemporaries, Agha did not promote a nationalistic or didactic approach to her work but instead she created an alternate space to the real world. Having started out in the conventional style of painting, she gradually shifted to a more abstract style after meeting Mario Perlingieri, Picasso’s former student.
Agha made clever use of colour, form and compositional structures to set the mood and tone of her imagery, resulting in mystical or otherworldly visuals. Works such as “Karachi by night” excite the viewer with its vivacious colour palette, casual brilliance of composition and a sense of alienation is characteristic of Agha’s images. Agha has created morphed forms of the human figure, animals, landscapes, cityscapes, floral motifs and still life objects. Her technique provoked conservative art critics who characterized it as lacking in skill whereas others regarded her as a “true colourist”.
Evening by Zubeida Aha
Agha despite her contribution to art as director of contemporary art gallery, Rawalpindi and artist, has slipped out of the minds of the general public. This is most likely because she was a virtual recluse and never joined any major art institutions as a faculty member which brought most of her contemporaries into the limelight.
Karachi by Night by Zubeida Agha
Anna Molka Ahmed, uninhibited in use of paint and self-expression, produced energetic and audacious images. Her practice varied from portraits, landscapes and still lives, to socio-economic commentary with mythological or religious references, not shying away from touching upon grim topics such as death, war, resurrection or prophetic end of civilization. Starting off with more romantic images in the nascent stages of her career, she later turned to more serous themes.
The Dance of Death by Anna Molka Ahmed
Anna Molka Ahmed, born to a Jewish family in London, moved to Pakistan with her husband after converting to Islam at the age of 18. Anna’s artwork was an amalgamation of her European upbringing and life in her adopted country. Thus her painting style resonated with that of the European expressionists while subject matter dealt with primarily South Asian concerns. Molka’s bold spirit is translated onto canvas as aggressive, wild, impasto brushstrokes laid with a palette knife or even her fingers. The artist coloured real-life spaces and objects in strong hues, taking liberties to accentuate the very act of painting, adding gaudiness and vivacity to everyday scenes and to “release the inner urge” or long suppressed emotions.
Department of Fine Art, University of Punjab by Anna Molka Ahmed
The same passion was visible in her tireless work as the founder and head of the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Punjab. Many viewed Molka as a “warrior” setting the stage for later feminist art in Pakistan. Though the artist herself rejected the title of “feminist” itself, her life and work helped create spaces to disseminate the female point of view in the traditionally male dominated field.
Another story of unlikely rise to fame is that of Iqbal Hussain, a boy born into a family of courtesans in Lahore. Hussain’s paintings share the unfamiliar, exciting narrative of life within the red-light district, and the indignities suffered by those marginalized in the society. The artist devoted his practice to advocating for sex workers who were deemed as corrupt by a conservative society. By capturing his subjects in natural settings, performing mundane task such as brushing their hair, the artist presents them as human beings, vulnerable to their circumstance and not the perpetrators of wrongdoing. By bringing them into the gallery spaces and the living rooms of the elite, he restores some of their former Mughal era glory, successfully bridging the gap between the residents of Heera Mandi and the outside world.
For the Love of Women by Iqbal Hussain
Hussain’s subjects also challenge the conception of beauty and desirability when it comes to the female form. Hussain gives us a window into a matriarchal community, an antithesis to our largely male dominated society. Hussain’s ‘Birth of a Prostitute’ shows this disparity, as the birth of a girl is celebrated because she is perceived as a future breadwinner.
Honour by Iqbal Hussain
Hussain’s subject matter earned him many adversaries in a conservative society, with his work being removed from exhibitions for being “indecent”. Using the microcosm of the Heera Mandi, the artist discusses issues such as exploitation, violence, corruption.
One thing is rather evident, for these creative people, art was means to satiate the need to create. Their selfless and fervent dedication to their craft, along with their need to unravel the truth of the human condition did not only push to develop fine arts in Pakistan, but also helped forge a sense of aesthetic identity in the new nation.
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