Composed by Saad Arifi
In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of Arts of the government of Cliftonia has issued a special publication aimed at introducing artists to the real definition of the word art and the means through which it can be manifested. Entitled Ways of Seeing (Anew), the publication hopes to redefine the way art is practised in the country. The book has been conceived by the director-general of the Cliftonia Art And Real Estate Council, Brigadier Babar Berger Niazi (forcibly retd), and will soon be distributed to artists and art associations around Cliftonia.
In an exclusive interview with Eos, Brig Niazi discussed the reason behind this revolutionary book and the meaning of art in a vibrant society.
EOS: Could you please share with us the reasons that compelled you to write this book?
Brig Niazi: One word: love for my country.
EOS: Could you expand on that?
Brig Nazi: I was tired of seeing so-called artists — who know nothing of art — hide behind fake art to take potshots at me.
EOS: At you?
Brig Niazi: No, not me per se, I mean my country. But then as you know, there is no difference between me and Cliftonia. You hurt my country, you hurt me. Right?
EOS: Tell us about …
Brig Niazi: I said, right?
EOS: Yes, you are absolutely right. Please tell us about how your book will educate these fake artists.
Brig Niazi: Firstly, I believe that man created art to showcase a positive, softer image of himself and his nation state. We must, therefore, stay true to that ancient wisdom. Why veer away from something that our ancestors worked so hard to create and plunge instead into socio-political negativity?
So, in order to remind our artists of our true heritage and to streamline all future art produced in the republic, we decided to publish this book. This gem contains two beautiful templates depicting breathtaking landscapes. Keeping in mind our cultural and religious values and the basic reason for art to exist — i.e., to promote a positive, softer image of ourselves — our Martial Arts Committee spent a lot of time conjuring up these scenes. These pictures truly represent who we are as a society.
What is revolutionary about these images is that they have been drawn in black and white, with nary a colour —except the black of ink — thrown in to influence the artist. Instead, the blank spaces have numbers that correspond to specific colours listed at the bottom of the image. The artist is given complete and total freedom to paint his or her choice of colour into the blank spaces as long as it matches the number printed therein. It’s an ancient technique that was used by our Central Asian warrior ancestors called ‘colour-by-numbers.’