Painter , Pakistani artist/Master

1. Abdur Rahman Chughtai
BY ALI AHMAD
PCA AWKUM
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2.  Because of its geographical location and rich history, Lahore had been
the center of art and culture in West Pakistan for centuries. During this
time, in the field of fine arts, several different trends were developing.
The prepetition senior artists, Abdur “Rahman Chughtai, $ee "ahamin,
Anna Molka, and‘ Ustad Allah Bukhsh (, already held
prominent positions in the art scene of Pakistan with their respective
Persian & Mughal, Bengal and ) European academic painting styles.
These artists were creating art with Islamic references to the glorious,
pre-colonial past of the Mughals, as well as the pure, regional themes of
Punjabi folklores
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3.  Rather than carrying any reference to Indian history, these subjects
and themes were politically correct and benign, !ng the ideology
of the nation-state of Pakistan.“among the younger generation,
Zubeida Agha was the only artist at that time in west Pakistan
whose training by an Italian war prisoner in Lahore, Mario
Perlingieri, introducedher to the abstract art mo&ements of the
$est.' In(ast Pakistan, #ainul "bedin was well known for hisminimal
modernist pen and ink drawings
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4.  the art circle came into being because these artsts wanted freedom to breathe and to
dothings beyond the range of Anna Molka,Chughtai, and "llah +aksh, the three icon of
Lahore as art establishment. they wanted to go modern whether anyone liked it or not
"kbar a/&i 0''1, 2345.

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5.  Ustad Allah Bakhsh
 was born in Wa%irabad in + -.
 Ustad Allah Bakhsh is one of the famous painters from Pakistan who is
recognised for materialising the rural life and landscape specifically of
Punjab on his canvas.
 "l though the basic theme of painters work re&ol&es around the local and
folk cultural heritage, but his work is also said to be inspired by classical
western art which is re6ected through the paintngs of 7indu mythological
characters.
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6. His masterpieces include
 Sohni Mahival
 Talism-e-HoshRuba
 Heer-Ranjha, Sohni Dhart
 and the rural life and landscape of Punjab.
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7.  Abdur Rahman Chughtai was a Pakistani painter, noted for his
work inspired by a variety of sources that included traditional
miniature, Mughal, Art Nouveau, Orientalist, and Islamic styles of
painting. Chughtai's best-known paintings are his portraits, featuring
their subjects existing in a flattened pictorial space painted in rich
golds and pastels, and populated by metaphorical signifiers. A
prolific artist, he created thousands of watercolors, drawings, and
prints over the course of his life.
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8.  Chughtai was lauded as one of the most important
Muslim artists of the early 20th century, and went on to
achieve widespread attention and honor for his work,
including the Presidential Medal for Pride of Performance
from the Pakistani government in 1968. Today, his work
is represented in the collections of the Victoria and Albert
Museum in London, the National Art Gallery in
Islamabad, and the British Museum in London, among
others. Born in Punjab, Pakistan in 1897, he died in the
city of his birth in 1975.
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9.  Abdur Rahman Chughtai (born Sept. 21, 1894—died Jan. 17,
1975), Education: Mayo School of Art, Lahore Pakistani artist. In
the 1920s he created large watercolours in a modified Bengal-
school style. By the 1940s hispainting style was influenced by
Mughal architecture, Islamic calligraphy, miniature painting, and
Art Nouveau, and his diverse subject matter included heroes and
heroines from Islamic history, Mughal kings and queens, and
episodes from Punjabi, Persian, and Indo-Islamic legends and
folktales.
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10.  After the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, he came to be known as
the national artist of Pakistan. Abdur Rahman Chughtai was one of the
earliest art icons of Pakistan, and became the first official national artist
after the country gained independence in 1947. Chughtai, who descended
from generations of craftsmen and decorators, had the uncommon
opportunity to study at a British-founded art school in Lahore. As a
result, his hallmark style was a composite of diverse influences, which
included Mughal art, Islamic calligraphy, miniaturist painting, and Art
Nouveau.
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11.  His style was characterized by a reduction of forms into luminous
planes of color, simple compositions, and delicate draftsmanship.
His favorite subjects were portraits or illustrations modeled after
heroes and heroines from Islamic history, legends, folktales, and
Mughal royalty. Chughtai also wrote fiction and criticism, and
designed stamps, coins, insignia, and book covers
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