July 6, 2002

Lal Muhammad’s art output and stylistic developments have also progressed alongside his humanitarian activities through art. A look through the albums replete with photo-specimens of his early work reveals his gradual shift from realistic portrayals to semi-abstraction. His initial exposure to cubism, courtesy Shakir Ali, left lasting impressions on his work.

Basically indulging in literal figurative representation, he began to break space in an improvised cubist manner. Hatching a chequered pattern, much like the weave of a local straw-mat, chatai, he further fragments the grid with smaller squares and lozenges of varying tonalities. The end result of fractured space is very apt as Lal Muhammad paints life in the wastelands of the Tharparkar region, where the heat and haze of the overhead sun is omnipresent.

The flickering, shifting, mosaic of colour capture the shimmer and glimmer of the noonday sun very well. His images can be likened to a dispersion of pixels on the screen just before they reassemble to form a whole picture.

Lal Muhammad paints with the eye of a chronicler, recording the Thari lifestyle in pictorial form. Women performing domestic chores is his favoured theme with emphasis on the typicalities of the dress and ornament. Accessories like water pitchers, matkas, grindstones, chakki, spinning wheel charkha, etc., donkeys, camels and bullock carts, build the atmosphere and lend an air of authenticity to the scenes.

Though the content or basic subject matter is repetitive at times, variation is introduced through different compositional arrangements and colour harmonies. Many paintings pertain to women fetching water or collecting firewood. This is meant to highlight the ongoing scourge in Thar. Almost all his works are a harsh reminder of the labour and struggle of life in a desert, and his subjects always carry grim expressions of resignation to fate. But at the same time the artist perks up his paintings with scintillating colour, which diffuses this severity considerably.

The artist works largely from a muted colour palette of dusty ochres, sandy greys and mottled greens, which dilute the sharpness of his oranges, reds and yellows. He is so adept at colour manipulation that not only is he able to control his vibrant hues but is also able to juxtapose tonalities in such a way that a feel of movement is given to the whole picture. His figures seem to be gliding through a mirage or wading out of a dust storm.

Lal Muhammad Pathan has perfected this method over a period of many years. His earlier attempts were rough and ill-managed and lacked an optical balance, but constant endeavour has matured and refined his treatment. Stroke work is done mainly with a palette knife, which has been his favoured paint applicator from the beginning.

Today, with the better part of his life behind him, Lal Muhammad is still striving on his chosen path, his enthusiasm undiminished. Reflecting on his life, he seems to be an artist who is at peace with himself — even though he is ailing and under treatment.

“As far as fame and wealth are concerned I am not where I should have been today, but as far as peace of mind is concerned I have achieved a position which very few people have. I have remained true and loyal to the place of my birth and my conscience is satisfied,” he muses.

Obviously, he has understood the essence of giving — all that one has. As Kahlil Gibran said: The trees and the flocks give, (so) that they may live; for to withhold is to perish. —S.A.