Modern Art in Pakistan: History, Tradition, Place

143 Pages·2017·7.428 MB·English

by  Simone Wille

Modern Art in Pakistan
Visual & Media Histories
Series Editor: Monica Juneja, University of Heidelberg
This Series takes as its starting point notions of the visual, and of vision, as central in producing
meanings, maintaining aesthetic values, and relations of power. Through individual studies, it
hopes to chart the trajectories of the visual as an activating principle of history. An important
premise here is the conviction that the making, theorising, and historicising of images do not
exist in exclusive distinction of one another.
Opening up the field of vision as an arena in which meanings get constituted simultaneously
anchors vision to other media such as audio, spatial, and the dynamics of spectatorship. It calls for
closer attention to inter-textual and inter-pictorial relationships through which ever-accruing
layers of readings and responses are brought alive.
Through its regional focus on South Asia the Series locates itself within a prolific field of writing
on non-Western cultures which have opened the way to pluralise iconographies, and to per-
ceive temporalities as scrambled and palimpsestic. These studies, it is hoped, will continue to
reframe debates and conceptual categories in visual histories. The importance attached here to
investigating the historical dimensions of visual practice implies close attention to specific local
contexts which intersect and negotiate with the global, and can re-constitute it. Examining the
ways in which different media are to be read onto and through one another would extend
the thematic range of the subjects to be addressed by the Series to include those which cross the
boundaries that once separated the privileged subjects of art historical scholarship from the
popular — sculpture, painting and monumental architecture — from other media: studies of
film, photography, and prints on the one hand, advertising, television, posters, calendars, com-
ics, buildings, and cityscapes on the other.
Also in this Series
No Touching, No Spitting, No Praying: The Museum in South Asia
Editors: Saloni Mathur and Kavita Singh
ISBN: 978-1-138-79601-0
Garden Landscape Practices in Pre-colonial India: Histories from the Deccan
Editors: Daud Ali and Emma J. Flatt
ISBN: 978-0-415-66493-6
Barefoot Across the Nation: Maqbool Fida Hussain and the Idea of India
Editor: Sumathi Ramaswamy
ISBN: 978-0-415-58594-1 (Not for sale in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh)
Modern Art in Pakistan
History, Tradition, Place
Simone Wille
London neW York neW deLHi
First published 2015 in India
by Routledge
912 Tolstoy House, 15–17 Tolstoy Marg, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110 001
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Simone Wille
Federal Ministry for
This publication is supported by
European and International Mfairs
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Glyph Graphics Private Limited
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or
in any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-138-82109-5
Contents
Plates vii
Acknowledgements xi
Preface by Monica Juneja xiii
Introduction: A New Sense of Place in Modern Pakistani Art 1
1. Shakir Ali (1916–75) 17
2. Zahoor ul Akhlaq (1941–99): The Idea of Space as an Abstract System 40
3. The Legacy of Pakistan’s Modernism in Contemporary Art 83
Conclusion 110
Afterword by Iftikhar Dadi 113
Bibliography 117
About the Author 123
About the Series Editor 124
Index 125
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Plates
1 Zumurrud Shah falls into a pit and is beaten by suspicious gardeners,
attributed to Kesava Dasa, possibly dated ah 975 (July 1567–June 1568).
Volume unknown, painting number 15, text number 16, 68.9 × 54.7 cm,
opaque watercolour on prepared cotton backed with paper; Persian text
on reverse written on paper backed with cotton; the four layers glued
together. Museum Number: IS.1516-1883, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 13
1.1 Shakir Ali, Village Scene with Three Deers, 1941. Gouache on paper,
26 × 20 cm. Courtesy of the Rangoonwala (Wahab Jaffer) Collection 24
1.2 Shakir Ali, Still Life with Scroll, c. 1954. Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore,
Taniya Suhail. From Marcella Nesom Sirhandi, Contemporary Painting
in Pakistan, Lahore: Ferozsons, 1996, p. 43 25
1.3 Shakir Ali, Still Life with Pineapple and Apple, 1955. Oil on board, 50.8 × 59.7 cm.
Courtesy of the Rangoonwala (Wahab Jaffer) Collection 26
1.4 Shakir Ali, Figures with Cattle, 1957. Oil on Canvas. 40.6 × 83.8 cm.
Aziz Sarfraz, Pakistan. From Marcella Nesom Sirhandi, Contemporary
Painting in Pakistan, Lahore: Ferozsons, 1996, p. 44 27
1.5 Shakir Ali, The Dark Moon, 1965. Oil on canvas, 152 × 99 cm.
Collection of Fakir and Shahnaz Aijazuddin, Lahore 30
1.6 Shakir Ali, Birds in Flight and Flowers, 1966. Oil on canvas, 167 × 470 cm.
Lidice Gallery, Inventory Nr. LO 100, the Czech Republic.
Photo: ABC Photo, Martin Homola 32
1.7 Shakir Ali, Still Life with Vase and Flower, 1966. Oil on canvas, 63.5 × 96.5 cm.
Collection of Fakir and Shahnaz Aijazuddin, Lahore 37
2.1 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Untitled (student work, National College of Arts), 1959.
Oil on Masonite, 62.2 × 92.1 cm. The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 43
2.2 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Composition, 1964. Oil on Masonite, 60.7 × 91.4 cm. Collection
of Birtha and Mohammad Sadiq, Lahore. From Marcella Nesom Sirhandi,
Contemporary Painting in Pakistan, Lahore: Ferozsons, 1996, p. 92 44
2.3 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Birds in Flight, 1966. Dry point, 37.5 × 50.8 cm. 1/7.
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 46
2.4 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Landscape 5, 1966. Lithography, 45.72 × 55.88 cm.
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 47
2.5 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Untitled, 1968. Etching, 40.6 × 58.4 cm.
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 48
vviiiiii || Plates
2.6 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Untitled, ca. 1968. Ink on paper, 45.72 × 58.42 cm.
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 49
2.7 ‘Square table with rosette surrounded by a foliage border’,
©Linden-Museum Stuttgart. Photo: A. Dreyer 50
2.8 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Untitled, ca. 1969. Etching, 53.34 × 81.28 cm (with border).
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 53
2.9 Firman of Muhammad ibn Tughluq, 725/1325. Paper backed with cotton,
116 × 27.5 cm. The Keir Collection. From: Jeremiah P. Losty,
The Art of the Book in India, London: British Library, 1982 54
2.10 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Towards an Ideal Landscape, ca. 1968. Etching,
58.42 × 78.74 cm. The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 55
2.11 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Towards an Ideal Landscape, a variation of the previous
work. The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 55
2.12 Jasper Johns, Flag II, U.L.A.E., 1960. 60 × 81.5 cm, lithography.
Digital Image © 2013, The Museum of Modern Art/Scala,
Florence. © VBK, Vienna 2013 57
2.13 Jasper Johns, Flag III, U.L.A.E., 1960. 57 × 66.5 cm, lithography,
Digital Image © 2013, The Museum of Modern Art/Scala,
Florence. © VBK, Vienna 2013 57
2.14 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, View from the Tropic of Illegitimate Reality, between 1975–78.
Acrylic on canvas, 142.24 × 205.74 cm. The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 61
2.15 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Untitled, ca. 1982. Acrylic on wood, 91.44 × 121.92 cm.
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 62
2.16 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Untitled, 1974. Oil on canvas, 124.46 × 185.42 cm.
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 64
2.17 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Untitled, ca. 1977. Oil on wood, 91.44 × 121.92 cm.
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 65
2.18 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Radio Photograph of Objects Unidentified V, 1983. Etching,
55.88 × 76.2 cm (with border). The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 66
2.19 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Shah Jahan Triptych, 1981. Acrylic on wood,
121.92 × 91.44 cm. Private collection, Lahore. Image courtesy of
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 68
2.20 Balchand, The three sons of Shah Jahan, ca. 1635. Watercolour and gold on paper,
Museum Number: IM.13-1925, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 70
2.21 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Shah Jahan Triptych, detail. Photo: Richard Seck 71
2.22 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Untitled, mid 1970s to late 1970s. Acrylic on canvas.
Collection of Birtha and Mohammad Sadiq, Lahore. Image courtesy
of Rashid Rana Studio 72
2.23 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Jinnah Triptych, 1986/87. Acrylic on canvas,
approx. 7 × 3 m (all three). Collection of Ardeshir Cowasjee, Karachi.
Image courtesy of The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 74
2.24 Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Untitled, 1991. Acrylic on canvas, 91.44 × 134.62 cm.
The Artist’s Estate. Photo: Richard Seck 80
1P6la–7te5s) || iixx
3.1 Rashid Rana, Untitled 7, 1992–93. Graphite on board, 45.72 × 30.48 cm.
Courtesy of the Rashid Rana Studio 86
3.2 Rashid Rana, In the Middle of Nowhere, 2001–02. C print, 40.18 × 27.79 cm.
Courtesy of the Rashid Rana Studio 87
3.3 Rashid Rana, Identical Views II, 2004. C print + DIASEC, 76.2 × 76.2 cm.
Edition of 10. Courtesy of the Rashid Rana Studio 90
3.4 Rashid Rana, I Love Miniatures, 2002. C-print + DIASEC and gilded frame,
25.4 × 34.29 cm. Courtesy of the Rashid Rana Studio 92
3.5 Rashid Rana, I Love Miniatures, detail. Courtesy of the Rashid Rana Studio 93
3.6–3.9 Beate Terfloth, Raumzeichnung Via Gallia, Rom, 1988, slaked lime,
lead pencil. Photo: Giuseppe Schiavinotto, Rom 97
3.10 Beate Terfloth, Invitation Card to the exhibition ‘Wand/Zeichnung’, 1994.
From: Beate Terfloth, 1995 100
3.11–3.15 Beate Terfloth, Drawings (Wazir Khan), 1995. Lead pencil on transparent
paper, 78 × 51.1 cm each. Photo: Horst Huber, Stuttgart 101
3.16 Walldrawing at the Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore 103
3.17 Beate Terfloth, Lakshmi Chawk (Blaue Arbeit), 2000. Adhesive tape on
cracks in the floor, Lakshmi Chawk, Lahore. Photo: Beate Terfloth, Berlin 105
3.18 Beate Terfloth, For Jahanara and Zahoor, Walldrawing at the Kunstmuseum
Bonn for the exhibition Zeichnung heute (Drawing Today), 1999. Lead pencil.
Photo: Nic Tenwiggenhorn, Düsseldorf 107
3.19 Beate Terfloth, grid, 2010, Walldrawing, Salzburger Kunstverein,
Salzburg, Austria. Lead pencil. Photo: Andrew Phelps, Salzburg 107