KARACHI: Art circles throughout Pakistan mourn the passing of a loved and respected man of the arts, Syed Ali Imam, doyen of the art world. In recent years he walked with death as a companion, yet never allowed the dark presence to dominate his will. Forced to ‘rest’ for stretches of time, his crystal sharp intellect ensured each day was filled with interest and excitement as he continued to assess global developments in art and politics. His inner circle of close friends would find him surrounded by books and papers, ready to discuss and examine any number of issues until Ms Imam politely announced it was time to rest.
His story began in Narsingpur where he was born in 1924. Fiercely independent, articulate, a champion of the underdog, he chose his own path in life. Imam concentrated on academics and joined the Nagpur School of Art as a part-time student. He finished his formal education after partition at Gordon’s College in Rawalpindi and, disillusioned with politics, devoted himself to art, as a teacher, painter and writer.
In the 1950s Ali Imam went to Lahore where painters like Moyene Najme, Shemza and Parvez were beginning to feel the pulse of modern art. Influenced by Shakir Ali, a Lahore Art Circle was formed. In 1955 the group exhibited their work together and Hamid Jalal wrote: “It is the first salon of paintings in Pakistan in which the participating artists are exhibiting their pictures in a group.” After three further exhibitions of his work in Pakistan, Ali Imam made his way to London in 1956 where he stayed for over 10 years.
With Shemza, Ahmed Parvez, Murtaza Bashir and Safi-ud-Din, Ali Imam exhibited his work at the Woodstock Gallery, London, in 1959. Two solo exhibitions of his paintings followed and art critic G.M. Butcher wrote: “Ali Imam inverts the principles of cubism and emerges with a decorative system of references to natural objects.”
A spurious story that made headlines in an evening paper reported Indian tanks in Lahore in 1965. Spotting the headlines while crossing Kensington High Street, Ali Imam fainted out of shock but soon recovered to know that the situation was not as bad as painted. He returned to revitalize the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, as principal, and then with the opening of the Indus Gallery in 1971, to firmly establish himself as a key figure in Pakistan’s developing art scene. He maintained his stature unchallenged until he finally left us.
The early years of the Indus Gallery gave rise to an art era that no one connected with art in those days will forget. Anybody who was anybody in art circles turned up to view exhibitions, join in discussions, enjoy the company of the man who held it together, Syed Ali Imam. He was the arbiter of art issues, the final word on authenticity of a work of art.
Looked up to by all, the bearded, scholarly, pipe-smoking man was a powerful force in the propagation of art with an influence that no one before him has matched. Well-versed in aesthetics and art issues, he was widely travelled, never without a book to hand. Ali Imam could — and often did — floor opposing views in argument, with shining eyes and enormous energy. In his youth he had been a Marxist, prepared to suffer for his principle and something of the zealous, young man remained forever in his psyche. He promoted artists with intensity, executed his own paintings in solitude and with humility. Others might praise his work lavishly, but Ali Imam was his own yardstick, never satisfied with the end result.
He would carry his aspirations to another canvas, raising questions and looking for conclusions. We often heard him talk about “inner striving and searching”, and he was a man who practised what he preached. It never ceased to amaze me that the man who had such a strong personality and robust opinions should paint with such delicacy. The subjects were familiar, strong images but the treatment was infinitely tender, white on white, shading into the lightest of pastels. Often disconcertingly honest, he was mistrustful of fame, treated all alike and refused the honours heaped upon him until the 1980s when, persuaded by Ms Imam, he somewhat mellowed.
Recently Imam Sahib, as he was generally referred to, addressed a “Dialogue with Art” project, lecturing to wide audiences in Lahore and Islamabad. The doyen of the art world was in great form, eyes glowing, he transcended years and delicate health as he energetically lambasted artists, galleries, and writers with good humour and affection.
Afterwards people crowded around him, not wanting the dialogue to end and he was in his element. Returning from Islamabad, several people recognized the celebrity and throughout the flight, the dialogue continued. That occasion proved to be the great man’s swan song. He gave his whole being to the “Dialogue”. Just as he had given his whole being to art in Pakistan since his return from England in 1967.
