September 28, 2002

‘Kaleem Khan creates a vibrant, mysterious atmosphere informed by history, folklore and the seasons. Quetta and Balochistan are suffused by a light unique to the area, a quality the artist strives to capture in his work,’ writes Marjorie Husain

Kaleem Khan is an artist well-known for his impressions of Quetta, its environs, and the particular way of life of the area coloured by the austere beauty of the landscape and its nomadic traditions. Regarded as a ‘harsh’ area, Balochistan seen through the eyes of an artist takes on the majesty and beauty of a place unchanged by centuries.

Describing the phenomenon Kaleem Khan explained: “With the passage of time I have realized how the mountains which once appeared austere and cold to me, are in fact rich in colour and complex in mood. I am fascinated by the people living in tents, their livestock, their poetry and their legends. Time and dimensions acquire an altogether different dimension in Balochistan.”

A collection of the artist’s paintings exhibited at Karachi’s Canvas Gallery, marked his re-appearance in the city after an interval of fifteen years and gave visitors the opportunity to witness the maturing of an artist in his prime. A collection of simplified, superbly painted pieces, autumnal in mood, portrayed a perceptive awareness of his homeland, addressed by a disciplined palette.

Acknowledged for his work in the field of landscape painting, Kaleem owns that his first love is music and still sings on occasions. His youthful ambition was to play the piano but in his neighbourhood there were “no ustads” and few opportunities to learn music.

Speaking about his early art experience Kaleem explained, “From our area the first graduate of the National College of Art was Tareen Sahib whom we all regarded with great respect. He saw some potential in me and was a very encouraging influence, advising me to try for NCA, so I set off for Lahore to apply for admission and was delighted to be accepted. Now for this I had to pay a fee of Rs1,500.

“I remember it very well because at the time I had completed two portraits for the Iranian consul-general, who had commissioned the work for a fee of Rs4,000. So everything was all settled and I really think that it all came together with help ‘from above’.”

“On the first day of college Saeed Akhtar called us — me, Akram Dost and Jamal Shah. He told us ‘whatever you know forget it, you must concentrate on drawing because without a mastery in drawing you can do nothing.’ I took his words very seriously and used to fill sketchbooks and that habit has remained with me. I usually carry a book around and when I’m waiting for my children or have a few minutes to spare, I automatically start drawing whatever is around me.”

Kaleem Khan has an inherent skill for capturing a likeness. Before joining college he had completed several portraits but when asked where his talent sprang from he had no idea. His family is inclined to practical matters — agriculture and such — and there is no record of artistic talent in his background. Though his family was uncertain of his ambitions they never stood in the way of his art studies and in time became proud of his achievements.

“In the first year at NCA I was instructed by Saeed Akhtar. I loved painting, enjoyed using oils and initially thought I would focus on portraiture. In my second year I was taught by Khalid Iqbal who looked at my work and said, ‘Up to now I don’t know what you can do, or where you are. Start using watercolours, show me a landscape.’ Till then I hadn’t attempted to paint landscape, so I took the class assignment and was very excited and inspired by views around Lahore. I found painting street scenes and landscape very absorbing and began to see more and more natural patterns.”

Kaleem’s achievement in art was recognized by the college with an award of a gold medal in 1982.

“Before graduating in ’83 I decided to take landscape as the subject of my final exams. Both Saeed Akhtar and Khalid Iqbal advised me not to remain in Lahore. They said if you stay in Lahore you will be repeating the same thing, bring a landscape from there, something new and different. And it is true, my colours are unlike those found in other landscapes... the sky is altogether different. I find Balochistan very inspiring, what with the Chiltan mountain range and all its myths. I see the shadows the sun casts on Quetta Fort, and the cosmopolitan town itself with its busy markets and varied modes of transport. I constantly find something new that motivates me.”

Around that time it was decided to open a department of fine arts at the University of Balochistan and Jamal Shah was put in charge of the project.

“Jamal Shah informed me that Akram Dost Baloch and Feryal Gauhar, besides me, would be involved in the project. To start with we had made provisions for 15 students and about 40 applied. In the end we took 20 and they were really serious displayed a high standard.”

As we talked, one of the first batches of students of the newly opened department, and Kaleem’s former student, stood smiling on. Ramzan Shad added his reminiscences of that momentous occasion. “I remember there was a large crowd of applicants,” said Ramzan who remains a practising painter and teaches at a local school in Karachi. “Quite a number of girls were among the applicants and everyone was very keen.”

Kaleem Khan continued: “The applicants were so many and so promising, it took hours to get through the assessments and select our first group. We went on through the night.”

The Fine Arts Department of the University of Balochistan opened in 1984 with Jamal Shah as its head and Akram Dost and Kaleem Khan as the faculty. It started off with a one year course, progressed to two years and continued to grow. In the near future the department plans to extend its facilities to include an MFA course.

“There is a lot of artistic talent in the area. We have produced several artists of note, including Ramzan, Hamidullah, who teaches at the Quetta Arts Council, and Fazil Mousavi, who now teaches at the Iqra School in Quetta — all very talented. These are the ones that come to mind but there are several others including girls who usually get married and confine their work to the home.

“Two of our students, one of them a girl, have now gone into fashion design and are doing well. We do emphasize the drawing aspect and hold regular daily sessions. Nadir Ali, who trained at the NCA heads the sculpture department. We would very much like a state-of-the-art graphics department, but at present there is a small cell. There is no outlet in Quetta, not even an advertising agency in the city, for instance.”

We talked of the lack of communication between towns and the difficulties faced by unknown artists in trying to show their work in galleries. “It’s very hard for artists outside Karachi to arrange their exhibitions here. It is a matter of contacting galleries, framing the work and getting it to the gallery with the required paperwork. The lack of opportunities has discouraged many good artists.”

Speaking of his experience of foreign art centres while undertaking month-long, USIS-sponsored trip, Kaleem enthused: “I had a wonderful opportunity to travel through America. I visited several cities and got to see some great galleries and museums. Surprisingly I found Santa Fe the most culturally vibrant town. I did some watercolour landscape paintings while I was there and met so many artists eager to exchange ideas.

“The director of the Santa Fe School of Art, Carrie Benson, was born in Sialkot, and she knew several of my acquaintances. Of course, I would like to travel more but in my opinion the beauty of my own area cannot be surpassed. Tareen Sahib, who eventually settled in Australia, came home on a visit in recent years and when I showed him my work he turned to friends standing around and said, ‘What I had wanted to do, he has done exactly that.’ I can’t think of a higher praise.”