Two peerless paintings of an earlier era in Pakistan recently surfaced in a collection of paintings due to be shown by Bonhams in Dubai this month. Among the artworks from Middle East and South Asian countries, the paintings by Abdur Rahman Chughtai and Sadequain will be recognised as highlights of the show. A watercolour titled, 'Pride of the East' by Abdur Rahman Chughtai is one of the most important of Chughtai's paintings to appear on the market in recent years. It was presented to Walter Scheel, the former President of West Germany in 1976, and one hopes it may return to Pakistan after three decades abroad.
Showing an image of the painting to some young art students recently, it was surprising to note that they appeared to have very little knowledge of the artist, since little of Pakistan's early art history is taught in art schools. In Lahore, the artist's son, Arif Rahman Chughtai, holds an annual exhibition of his father's work at the Chughtai House in Lahore, and acknowledges important dates in the artist's life with informative brochures. He is a front of information on his famous father.
Abdur Rahman Chughtai is an artist revered in both India and Pakistan, since, before 1947 he was famed for his watercolours depicting Hindu deities and festivals. In New Delhi, a national art museum has a Chughtai room, where thirteen exquisite paintings are displayed; as yet such a facility is lacking at the Pakistan National Art Gallery. When Pakistan was founded, Chughtai strove to seek a Pakistani art identity, to create a body of work that would represent the country's distinctive individuality, and he was the first artist to assimilate elements of Moghul art in his work and to introduce contemporary distortions in a singular style.
The Old Master had to his credit a number of important exhibitions at the time of the emergence of Pakistan, both at home and in the UK. He visited Europe for the first time in 1932, and his work was acquired for the collection of the British Museum. Chughtai was accorded the title of Khan Bahadur in 1934, and in 1937, he was the first artist from the East to participate in the Annual Royal Academy Summer Exhibition during the 137th event. Chughtai returned to the UK in 1937 to join a School of Engraving. Thereafter, his interest in printmaking equalled his passion for painting.
Abdur Rahman Chughtai was convinced of the need of an art magazine and in 1933, he and like-minded friends brought out the first issue of a journal titled, Caravan, in which the artist had two poems and a short story besides an illustration of his work. Initially, the magazine was planned as a monthly, but due to financial reasons, the publishers had to settle for an annual magazine and a different editor took charge of each issue. Chughtai's passion for writing continued all his life, and he continued to write and publish short stories, essays and plays.
In 1973 Chughtai was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz by President Ayub and in 1974, he held his last solo exhibition in London at the Commonwealth Institute. The artist's work is contained in several books that are now collector's items.
Sadequain emerged on the scene in the 1950s. His earliest paintings appear to have been produced in Balochistan. In Quetta, he had a friend who owned a framers shop in the bazaar, and Sadequain spent many evenings there, drawing and sketching, generously giving his work to friends. The revelation of the 'Cacti' series at Gadani, won him international recognition at the Paris Laureate in 1964. Thereafter, he was a folk hero to Pakistan's young artists, a man who followed his own inclination and began in art a new school of thought.
Sadequain's painting to be displayed at the Royal Mirage Hotel, October, is dated 1967. Viewing the work of those days, it is interesting to compare the 'Cacti' painting with a coloured sketch of the Quetta days belonging to the artist's old friend. It is drawn on a page from a sketch book and depicts a shepherd with his flock, a simple yet dynamic sketch.
