Living a neutral existence is a denial of genuine revelation which stunts growth and blocks vision to the wonderful opportunities of life. Therefore, to surpass stagnant activity, one has to transform into a believer based on certain justifiable convictions. It is said that any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience. An example of a similar tacit debate is discernible in Picasso's ‘Guernica’ and Susan Crile's images of ‘Torture at Abu Ghraib’.
With the widespread prejudice and public oppression across the world, there was a dire need to voice the heart-rending sufferings at the hands of oppressive authoritarians of this region. Although poets like Habib Jalib used the power of words to express the prevalent bigotry and injustice, it was Abdur Rahim Nagori who pioneered this onerous mission dauntlessly through painting, giving every picture more than a thousand words. With the hindsight of arduous events, the artist’s paintings catered to the three categories of political art: portrayal, promotion and projection.
To accord honourable tribute to the artist, who for his truthfulness endured fury of despots, an exhibition of paintings by A. R. Nagori, curated by Shahzad Saeed and Naveed Nagori, was held at the Art Scene Gallery, Karachi, on the artist’s first death anniversary. Being the country’s foremost socio-political painter, Nagori, with his derisive, intrepid, and passionate demeanour never hesitated to portray reality, even if it meant fierce reprisal from the establishment. He also voiced the rampant gender disparity and oppression of women through his forceful canvases which never seemed to fumble for what they wanted to portray. Apart from being a trend-setter, Nagori reproduced his profound vision on canvas with equitable handling of the mediums he chose, orchestrating colour and form in animated harmony.
According to the artist’s daughter Amber Romasa Nagori, the overall socio-political art in the country has been under-represented which is not unusual since the establishment would not project art that deprecates the system. Romasa says, “Nagori was perhaps the only one who was able to execute socio-political art and bring it into limelight without impairing aesthetics. His paintings are not just posters or placards of protest, but they are stark messages that are aesthetically strong.”
Nagori passionately acquired knowledge about art traditions and the history of art and mythology. He was able to connect the sufferings of the people not only in this part of the world but also universally. His paintings speak at different levels and with different kinds of people. Sometimes people who are uneducated have a greater understanding of aesthetics and can intuitively connect to the central idea without interpretational complications, compared with those who are literate and analytical. Nagori’s works can be enjoyed spontaneously at the second level as a socio-political commentary and a documentary of the struggle of the people. Thus the bonus within a given set of the artist’s paintings is the intellectual pleasure of relishing mythology of the folklore.
His courage to express boldly perhaps stemmed from his association with Anna Molka Ahmed, who once told him that if you want to pick up a fight, always do it with a more powerful person; there is no merit in fighting with somebody who’s weaker.Nagori adopted Ahmed’s advice as a policy, which eventually became the driving force behind his paintings that shook the world. Smouldering in the flames of injustice prevalent in the socio-political environment, Nagori never ceased to express resentment and agony through his outright initiatives in painting, which gave him the distinctiveness of a rebel who lived for a cause. He was the perfect example of an art devotee, who was sincere and would forego anything for art. He never had a lobby and would never vie for favours, contracts or commissions. He drew his strength from his family, with his wife being the pivotal character, the unsung hero, who gave him support during the most trying times.
Nagori’s painting titled, 'Proliferating grotesquerie' in mixed media on paper, gives a stark account of the violence and carnage imposed by the authoritarians which is quite touching for its graphic content. The depiction of the down-trodden throws the viewer into hyper-contemplation and sets the pulse racing. One of the remarkably drafted oil-on-canvas painting, ‘Guernican proliferation perpetuates’, albeit different in character from the rest of the exhibits, perhaps a tribute to Picasso, depicts the suffering of a mother and child in duplicate as an aftermath to the silent affliction of the drones that lurk with stealth in the darkness of the night.
Another oil-on-canvas painting titled, ‘Bajour’, tells the poignant episode of the exodus of natives from their centuries old abode which is threatened by the indiscriminate downpour of lethal weapons from helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.The composition of women and children reflect a forlorn state and draws the viewers’ attention for their innocent, hapless and pitiable condition. It is but the depth of expression of Nagori that has brought this painting so close to a real experience with empathy oozing from every stroke of the brush.
Nagori’s works somewhat reflect Tolstoy’s perception that art is not a game in which man lets off his excess energy; it is not the expression of man's emotions by external signs; it is not the production of pleasing objects; it is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity.