He was born to paint, to paint landscapes in a naturalistic way; the way nature has designed the surface of our planet. He was born to love, to love his students, to love his peers and to love his land. He was born to inspire, to inspire generations to come with brushes and colours in hand. He was a born legend, a maestro, the son of this soil; Khalid Iqbal, who breathed his last on June 19 this year, was laid to rest in the same soil that he loved to paint throughout his life. The most glorious chapter of landscape painting in Pakistan ended with Iqbal Sahib’s demise.

The artist was born on June 23, 1929 at Shimla, India. Considered as a ‘Modern Realist’ landscape painter; he nurtured the first ever generation of landscape painters in the era when academic and practising art in Pakistan was in its making. After studying at the Slade School of Arts, London, under the guidance of Sir William Coldstream and John Piper, Iqbal Sahib returned to Lahore, with various colours of modern and post-modern techniques and theories in his pocket, to teach and inspire the initial batch of three students at the fine arts department of the Punjab University.

Later, these three students — Colin David and Aslam Minhas in painting and Sufi Waqar in sculpture — established themselves as revered artists. It was the beginning of the Khalid Iqbal era in Pakistani art. His reflection has been obvious not only in his own students and admirers but also in the students of his students.

When Iqbal was a mere young student, John Piper, a famous English painter remarked about his work, “Young man, you possess the talent to show nature in its natural tones. This painting appears to have been made during mid-morning; indeed, I can even smell the rising aroma of the grass. You have a long way to go!”

Khalid Iqbal was a great landscape painter and an accomplished teacher and had been considered as a mentor by many artists

Some called him a genius, many titled him as the maestro, for numerous individuals he was a guru, while some special students just kept on following him as a pious saint.

Being a man of principles, Iqbal never compromised on his stance. He stood by Colin David in the time of need and left the department of fine arts on account of David’s expulsion. In 1965, he joined the National College of Arts (NCA) as associate professor and the head of the painting department. In 1974, he became the principal of the NCA after Shakir Ali.

Iqbal Sahib never entered the gates of the Punjab University’s fine arts department once he left, until in 2012 when he honoured the department (now the College of Art and Design) to inaugurate an open-air art studio: Gosha-e Behzad-o Mani.

Misty landscape (2008)

He is known as a great painter and an unparalleled teacher, but he was blessed with a unique quality of enticing his students and contemporaries towards him through his soft nature, caring attitude and high ethics. Therefore, his students became his followers who always considered Iqbal Sahib as a glorified soul.

The artist never indulged in matrimonial relationship; he spent all his life in painting and guiding others. It is an established fact that his only love was painting and he lived happily for it. His home remained a haven for his students and friends where his skills and smiles always welcomed them.

Whenever he talked, he spoke gently, whenever he painted, he painted masterly, on every occasion, he had strong command over his subject and an unyielding grasp over the delicate technique of painting.

Iqbal Sahib neither put his signatures on his paintings nor did he ever try to boast of his genius, but all of his friends, students, followers and admirers bear his name within their heart whereas his painting without his signatures has become “Khalid Iqbal signature work”.

Rest in peace Khalid Iqbal. You will be missed sorely!

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, June 29th, 2014