We all know about the great Lahore painter Abdur Rahman Chughtai of Kucha Chabakswaran, as also we know about Sadequain, the great Pakistani painter and calligrapher, but how many have heard of Lala Rukh, the great ‘Minimalist’ painter of Lahore? Outside the ‘knowledgeable’ circle of artists and painters, very few know about the great Lala Rukh, one of the world’s finest minimalist painter from Lahore. Though she passed away in 2017 yet as time passes more and more museums the world over is in search for her works.

In this piece let us have a brief look at this amazing woman. She was born in Lahore in 1948, daughter of Hayat Ahmed Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Music Conference. She was one of four daughters, all of them highly educated and committed to equal rights for women. My first meeting with Lala Rukh was at the Sunday arts classes held by Mrs Anna Molka Ahmed, the famous painter, at the Arts Council on The Mall. We were in school then and her sketching was exceptional. The actors there used to pose as models.

As Hayat Ahmed Khan was a family friend, we used to hear a lot about his family going to mountaineering trips, hiking along lonely tracks, horse-riding, and swimming. Travelling seemed to have instilled in Lala Rukh a soft corner for the poor. Very often we would hear of her giving away her clothes and even furniture to a needy person. So it was that all the daughters pursued classical music, calligraphy, and poetry.

As she grew in age she got a BA degree from Lahore College for Women and a Master’s degree from the Punjab University. She then moved to the University of Chicago for another Master’s degree. Being an avid reader and having a great understanding of music, she enjoyed the blues and jazz as it was emerging there. Also, she took an active part in the civil rights movement, understanding in detail the issues of the moment. In Lahore she joined the Lahore American School as a teacher, and once back from Chicago she joined the Punjab University’s art faculty. She then joined the National College of Arts retiring in 2012. In the NCA she won the ‘Best Teacher Award in 2000, playing a major role in designing the MA (Honours) Visual Arts programme. Her speciality was art’s relationship with politics and poverty. As she worked through all these disciplines her work on minimalism, conservation and archiving took central stage. It was in this context that her friendship with legal activist Asma Jahangir saw the emergence of the Women’s Action Forum (WAF). She also had a role in the creation of Simorgh the women’s publication organisation, as well as the Vas’l Artists Trust.

As the draconian regime of Gen Ziaul Haq began to crackdown on their activities and protests, she along with others ended up being jailed. When Gen Musharraf’s emergency was imposed, she and 50 other WAF members were jailed. But this never dampened her energy to stand up for the just. Alongside all these activities, today Lala Rukh stands out as the finest ‘Minimalist’ painter of not only Pakistan, but of the world. This can well be judged from the interest the finest museums of the world are taking in her creations, which have a meditative aspect to them.

Her initial use of crayons with a minimal of strokes did puzzle Western artists, but the message within them certainly came home. As she depicted the sea and the rivers within it, with time her work was recognised for its depth, its artistry, and its content. Let us have a brief look at where in the world her work is on display. Her series of minimalist painting called ‘Mirror Image’ was purchased in 1997 by the Metropolitan Museum of New York, USA. In this the events of Babri Mosque and its effects are depicted. Another set of paintings titled ‘Rupak 2016’ has been acquired by the Tate Gallery of London. Another series has been acquired by the Dubai-based Jamil Art Collection. Over the last few years her amazing minimalist work has been exhibited in Germany in the famous Kassel Collection, in China, in the Athen’s Conservatoire, in the Kunsthaus Centre D’Art Pasquart, Switzerland, a tCentre Pompidou, France, at Punta della Dogana,Venicein 2019 and in a number of British cities. Besides all these places, over the years her works have been exhibited in the Experimenter Gallery, Ballygunge Place, Kolkata, India, in the Dhaka Art Summit, in Ishara Art Foundation, Dubai, in the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in the Mimosa House, London, in the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Saket, Delhi, in Punta della, Dogana, Venice. The list now is endless.

In Lahore, her home city, an exhibition was arranged in the famous Mubarak Haveli inside the Walled City. Over the years exhibitions of her minimalist work have taken place in almost every Pakistani city. What exactly is a Minimalist painting? This is a question many have sought. In the arts, be it music, or the visual arts or painting, this is a movement that started after the end of World War II. Many experts think it is a reaction to the abstract modern movement, one that many just do not understand. It is a medium where the basics are stripped of the essential structures, where linear lines and a simple two-dimension abstraction brings forth the complete picture, leaving the viewer to form her or his opinion.

In this respect even Pablo Picasso, Kusama, and even Morandi produced amazing minimalist paintings. But then minimalism has touched other aspects of creativity like architecture and design. In a way the ancient Islamic tile designs are a minimalist creation. So, what Lala Rukh created and achieved is today, increasingly, appreciated the world over, as her works are much sought after.

To further understand what ‘minimalism’ encompasses, it might not be a bad idea to try to understand the Japanese urge to simplify the way they live. There is a mystical-Sufi touch to rebel against the complex life and architecture that Japanese cities have become. The mystical traditions of Punjab could be a reasonable format to simplify life, which by the day becomes complex. In a way Lala Rukh calls on the people of her city to look at themselves and enjoy a minimalist way of life in all its formats.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2024