"I believe that if an individual believes in himself and the cause he pleads, sooner or later, others will also start believing in him.” Such a statement could easily be associated with a political activist rather than a painter. Mian Ijaz ul Hassan happens to be both … since his younger days. Whether it was art or politics, he always came across as an individual with ‘clout.’ Not empty clout, which comes simply by being a member of the privileged class, but which emerges with myriad talents, forged by hard work, perseverance and generosity. Also a philosophical thinker, he has penned his views on art and artists, life and politics in both prose and poetry.

One’s own association with him goes back to more than two decades and the journey down memory lane brings up images that are not only vivid but also consistent with character. Many years ago, Professor Hassan came across as an almost godfather like person in the local art scene, and he still does, albeit in a more sage-like way. He was a founder member and president of the Artist’s Association of Punjab (AAP) then, and till today he holds this post and distinction. He has been the driving force for many other associations, as well as countless mammoth regional and national art exhibitions and seminars over the years — he still oversees these endeavours.

Professor Hassan’s inclusive awami approach to the arts has also, over the years, miffed many of those who are in the other and even exclusive art camps of the local art scene.

In real life, too, Professor Hassan is a political activist with a long history, including having been incarcerated in the infamous Lahore Fort prison during Zia’s martial law of the ’70s. One clearly remembers asking him many years ago, how he reconciled these two aspects of his life: art and politics. He very casually replied: “There is no dichotomy — life is both art and politics.” One never forgot these words.

Professor Hassan’s work has been representative of both the aforementioned genres. He has mostly painted beautiful canvases, replete with flowers, trees and other aspects depicting his love of nature. At the same time, he has also made powerful but disturbing images, representing bloodshed, war and torture. While the laburnum trees, the monstera plant and the lilies of his paintings are his signature ‘metaphors’, the suffering people of the world, be they from Vietnam, Palestine or Pakistan, have also featured prominently in his painterly endeavours.

Guts, gusto and grim realities of life tempered by a poetic mind are some of the most important elements that go into the canvases of the inimitable Ijaz ul Hassan

His most recent paintings are particularly disturbing and portray the tortured Kashmiri people. This set of three medium-sized canvases in oils are individual close ups of a child and two women. ‘The Cascade’ is the face of a beautiful Kashmiri child whose face is patterned by a downward stream of blood. It is reminiscent of an earlier work by the artist in 2011, titled ‘A Bloody Landscape.’ However, the new canvas is almost lyrical in its aesthetic arrangement, though, of course, in a very poignant way.

‘The Wailing Valley’ and ‘The Shriek’ are monochrome paintings in shades of black and white, the former canvas enhanced by blood red, but both depicting abject agony and pain. The elements of design are boldly brought into play, and the latter canvas is reminiscent of Norwegian Expressionist artist Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’, particularly in its linear arrangement of the backdrop behind the tormented human face. In fact, the artist himself admitted to having been inspired by this particular painting while working on this canvas. Indeed, this latest body of work is in sync with the sense of pain many sensitive Pakistanis feel at the ever-escalating torment of the people of India-held Kashmir.

Professor Hassan’s critics might even scoff at his seemingly simplistic political correctness. They are welcome to do so. It is unlikely that he would be ruffled by any such cynical comments. Having seen and done enough in life, he has the fortitude to take such criticism in his stride, and forge ahead with gusto. Guts, gusto and a smattering of grim realities, tempered by a poetic mind, are the recipe that continues to go into making the canvases of this prominent and powerful painter of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 30th, 2020