One driver from Murree, who earns up to Rs. 15, 000 a month, has spent Rs. 30, 000 to get his truck repainted. Two years ago, he and his brother spent about Rs. 200,000 to have the stem-to-stern bodywork done, which included hardwood doors, steel-covered wooden walls around the truck bed and chains around the edges. He considers this to be a legitimate cost of doing business.

The drivers believe that these expenses are well worth it. They say that no self-respecting merchant would trust his goods in the bed of a shabby looking truck. Customers reason, that if a driver can’t afford to be garish, maybe his is not a very good driver. One driver says that the police also look more sternly at a poorly decorated truck. “If I could not make it colourful,” he says, “I would be stopped by the police.” According to him if the truck is not in good condition, the police will not like his truck.

But for one truck-detailing shop in Rawalpindi, its the makings of a very good business. He employs twenty two craftsmen. He states that some decoration serves a purpose beyond mere aesthetics. For instance, he relates, that the massive jutting structure above the cab, may slow down the truck at high speeds. It also helps to hide excess goods from the prying eyes of police.

Truck art has become an important branch of Pakistani folk arts. The lorries are decorated, painted and repaired in various workshops around the country. One of the collection of workshops where Pakistani trucks are constructed, repaired and decorated, is located at the busy link road between Rawalpindi’s bus terminal and Grand Truck Road which connects Peshawar via Pindi with Lahore. At this workshop, mechanics deal with the machines, welders repair bodyworks and carpenters, commonly called “bodymakers”, construct the wooden bodies of the trucks that are finally painted and decorated with images, little mirrors, ornamental fittings, glittering reflectors and sounding chains. These old trucks are repaired again and again. Drivers and transport agencies put all their pride into the decoration of their lorries and trucks. There are two types of paintings on these trucks: the “simple paintings” which still leaves some space between the images and the second is “disco painting” in which every square inch is covered with pictures and ornaments. On the exhibit are portraits of national heroes, imaginary landscapes with wood covered hills and quiet lakes and beautiful women. The sides of the cabin are often covered with a kind of mosaic of metal reliefs intersected with small painted ornaments, and sometimes the doors are made of finely carved wood. Truck sides are the most important exhibition areas for paintings.

Side wooden panels are divided into small segments by iron struts to frame a number of different pictures. These pictures feature landscapes, women faces, birds, tigers and flowers.On the back of the truck there is one large motif: a portrait, a mythical figure, a building, and an animal. These are painted onseparate wooden planks that are taken off when loading or unloading the truck. Only when the planks are inserted in the correct order, do the pictures appear proper. A simple painting is ready in two days while the disco painting takes longer time. The painters of these are masters of their art and do not need models for painting. They are given a free hand in what they do, and the paintings are generally accepted by the owners. Nobody raises any objection to paintings of beautiful roses and birds or to a portrait of cricket star Imran Khan.

Not only new trucks are painted but many trucks that have lost their brilliance are painted anew also. Moreover, the truck is also painted if there is a change of hands and the new owner wants to see his name on the sides of the truck. After the painter-artists are done, the decorators take over with their accessories like messages added which consist of little badges with various slogans.

Initially, he went to Aligarh University to study civil engineering before heading off to USA for continuing his higher education. Gulgee started to paint while acquiring his training as an engineer in the United States at Columbia University and then Harvard. His first exhibition was in 1950.

Gulgee was a gifted and consummately skilled naturalistic portrait painter who had enjoyed “lavish state support” and plenty of elite commissions in this capacity. Nevertheless, he was perhaps best known worldwide for his abstract work, which was inspired by Islamic calligraphy and was also influenced by the “action painting” movement of the 1950s and 1960s . This is perhaps a natural enough stylistic combination, since in both Islamic calligraphy and action painting a high value is placed on the unity and energy of gestural flow. As with the works of other action painters or abstract expressionists, Gulgee’s canvases were often quite large. He was also known for using materials such as mirror glass and gold or silver leaf in his oil paintings, so that they were in fact mixed media pieces.

According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art: “Gulgee’s calligraphy paintings are abstract and gestural interpretations of Arabic and Urdu letters. His sweeping layers of paint explore the formal qualities of oil paint while they make references to Islamic design elements.”

Beginning in the 1960s , Gulgee also created sculptures, including bronze pieces that were calligraphic in form and inspiration, and sometimes specifically based on verses from the Quran

His paintings were bright and full of color, but the paint was put on with great sensitivity, and paintings vibrate with intense feeling. Areas sing with luminous, thin color; thick blobs of paint pulsate with fiberglass tears, the brush swirls strong and free. The total effect used to be very free, yet considered and well thought out. They work enormously well, because it was all orchestrated with great care and concentration.

Ajaz Anwar

Life

Born in Ludhiana in 1946, his father was a cartoonist who apparently had stirred his passion from childhood and from whom he drew his inspiration. After obtaining his M.A. in Fine Arts and a Gold medal in 1967, he completed his Ph.D in Muslim architecture, in Turkey in 1978 and proceeded to do a course on Conservation of Cultural Property at UNESCO, Rome in 1977. From 1972 he has been lecturing until he became Professor and Director of Art Gallery NCA, Lahore to date.

Old Buildings

Old buildings of Lahore city are the main theme of his paintings. He has tried to preserve those buildings in his paintings which are replaced by new style buildings or they are crumbling. These are the buildings of old Lahore, not all are historical but common homes of common people are the centre of his attention. Natural lively colours make the buildings alive.

People in his Paintings

Although buildings are the main theme of his paintings and people are just there to make a normal life but the characters he used in his paintings are the quintessential of the life of Lahore or Punjab. The characters are faceless but they represent the common people found in the bazars: A Tonga rider, women walking in the bazar, children playing, milkman, old persons talking,and sellers of all kinds. Ajaz Anwar not only preserved our buildings he has also preserved our daily life too.

Comments on Work

“In my paintings, I highlight the parts of Lahore that must be preserved. I remove skyscrapers and instead incorporate tongas and sweetmeat shops,” he said in an interview. The main focus of his paintings are not human figures. “The human figures are only used to bring these crumbling buildings to life. People are not important aspects of my art because they are born and reborn whereas these buildings, once destroyed, will be lost forever.”

Ajaz Anwar is the recipient of the President’s “Pride of Performance in Painting” in 1997.

The Art gallery lies straight down the corridor from the main entrance to the Lahore Museum. Past the wooden screen lies the Miniature Paintings Gallery, where rare exhibits are displayed on either side. Before you get absorbed in the details of the miniatures, take a look at the mural on the ceiling painted by Sadequain. The miniature paintings have been arranged in chronological order of development, beginning with illustrations from a 16th century Jaina Kalpa Sutra and some rare illustrations of Laur and Chanda romance. Persian, Mughal, Provincial and Bazaar Mughal paintings and works of minor ateliers of Rajput states in Rajasthan are also part of the collection. The gallery also holds exhibitions regularly.

Sim-Sim Art Gallery- Lahore

A standing little emblem of art near the famous Orega center in Lahore, Sim Sim art gallery is not just for exhibitions but basically an art on sale outlet. The interior is well defined and carries an ambiance of creativity and modernity. Displaying the works of the contemporary artists in Pakistan, Sim-Sim art gallery is helping promote the talented artists of Pakistan who believe in self expression and catharsis.

Shakir Ali Musesum & Art Gallery- Lahore

A true piece of art… Dwelling on the residence plot of the pioneer of modern art in Pakistan, Shakir Ali, the museum is a wonderful and awesome architectural phenomenon of the artist’s creativity. This great artist was born in India, received his basic education in India, and studied arts from the JJ school of arts Bombay. Then his trip to England for further studies brought a major turn in his life, where he learns classical paintings and textile designing, two contradictory fields of art. Shakir Ali museum was the artist’s personal lodging, which took ten years for construction but unfortunately ten months after the completion of the house the artist died. The place has an amazing architectural beauty and wonderfully designed rooms, the ambiance here reminds you of a never-ending passion for creativity. It is still warm with the colors that stroked the canvas with life, and things still speaking of the life of the great artist of Pakistan.

Crow eaters Gallery- Lahore

Named after the entropy of Sub-Continental harmony, a semi autobiographical novel by Bapsi Sidhwa, Crow Eaters is a pulsating fascination of aesthetics and modernity. The Gallery is located at the lower end of The Mall, the vibrant region of Lahore opposite Anarkali Bazaar lending a touch of the cultural and social dithyrambs. Exhibiting works, of the creative mentors of Art as well as young artisan’s hankerings, it provides communion between the artistic expressions and the people. The gallery is rather small, and a narrow staircase leads to the top floor the altar of crafts-man-ship. The work on display engulfs the genuine traditional and modern concepts of Art in Pakistan, irrefutably awesome in its displays of varying mediums of art.

93-Tipo Block, New Garden Town

Lahore, Pakistan

Co-opera Book Shop & Art Gallery- Lahore

At the heart of Lahore, on The Mall (Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam), near the well known Regal Stop, The Co-opera Book Shop & Art Gallery harbors a trove of art in the basement. Encouraging new talents and established artists, the Gallery exhibits works by artists from all over Pakistan, irrespective of the school, whether it be modern abstract and impressionism, or classic realism and miniatures. There’s room for all forms and mediums of art. Almost all the works on display are for sale, except for some permanent exhibits of the Gallery. The gallery is divided artistically into three sections, the entrance being dedicated to books and literature. A long gallery with lively watercolor paintings and calligraphy precedes the main display area. In the main room, exhibits include oil paintings, woodcarvings, prints, and the awesome display of the art of sculpture and carving. One room is solely dedicated to miniature art, defining various eras of Mughal art. Supporting all the literary and artistic activities in Pakistan, the gallery usually holds exhibitions twice a month.

Gallerie Sadequain- Karachi

Gallerie Sadequain Karachi This gallery is located within the historic building of Frere Hall, on Fatima Jinnah Road, in the Sadar area of Karachi. The art gallery is on the first floor of the Frere Hall. The ceiling of the art gallery was painted by Sadequain, one of the most well-known painters of Pakistan.

The enormous mural is an impressive work of art in Sadequain style. The art gallery regularly puts up amateur exhibitions in order to promote arts in the city. Frere Hall, Fatima Jinnah Road

Art Gallery- Karachi

Presenting art, in the Dhoraji Colony’s Rangoonwala Community Center, is the V.M. Art Gallery. Established in 1987, it is a project of ZVM Rangoonwala Trust, a renowned business house that has made laudable effort in the field of art and culture. The gallery was established with the objective of promoting advancement in art education and encouraging the fine arts. It serves as an outlet for senior and amateur artists; an important display venue for the young and for the established. The art gallery has its own permanent collection, titled ‘Rangoonwala Art Collection”. Apart from arranging exhibitions the art house also arranges slide presentations.

Art Collectors Gallery- Karachi

This gallery is located on Khyaban-e-Roomi, in Old Clifton, close to the Chawkandi Art gallery and the famed Zamzama boulevard of Karachi. The gallery is managed by Ali Imam and periodically exhibits works of established and young artists of Pakistan.

D-68, Block 7, Khyaban-e-Roomi, Clifton

Karachi, Pakistan

The Indus Gallery- Karachi

The Indus Gallery is one of the oldest and the longest running art gallery in Karachi. It was established by Ali Imam, one of the most well known painters of Pakistan. The gallery takes its name from the river system that runs through Pakistan. Along its banks flourished the world’s oldest advanced civic culture 8000 years ago known as the Indus Valley Civilization. Carrying the tradition forth, the Indus Art Gallery promotes the arts and crafts that have flourished here, over the centuries. It has played a pivotal role in popularizing art; the viewing and purchasing of works in Pakistan. For an unknown artist, an exhibition at the Indus Gallery means instant recognition. Established visiting artists from other parts of the world have also chosen this venue to display their work.

50-A/1 Street 1, Bath Island

The National Art Gallery- Islamabad

The entrance to the Art Gallery is at the rear of the house. The Gallery has an entrance hall and two main halls on the ground floor with two more exhibition halls on the upper floor. A concealed stairway separates the two halls on the ground floor; one of these halls has Sadequains artwork on display, while the others can be hired for organizing art exhibitions. In case you are keen on specifically seeing Sadequain’s work, it would be advisable to check with the Gallery in-charge and confirm.

Lahore Museum has many galleries and one of the most famous one is the Central Miniature Painting Gallery. As we enter the Miniature Paintings Gallery of Lahore Museum and lift our head up, we can observe the mural painted on the ceiling by one of the most gifted painters of Pakistan, Sadequain Naqqash (Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi: 1930-1987). A mural is a very large image, such as a painting or enlarged photograph, applied directly to a wall or ceiling.

According to Answers.com:

The roots of art of murals can be found in the universal desire that led prehistoric peoples to create cave paintings — the desire to decorate their surroundings and express their ideas and beliefs. The Romans produced large numbers of murals in Pompeii and Ostia, but mural painting (not synonymous with fresco) reached its highest degree of creative achievement in Europe with the work of such Renaissance masters as Masaccio, Fra Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. In the 20th century, the mural was embraced by artists of the Cubist and Fauve movements in Paris, revolutionary painters in Mexico (e.g., Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros), and Depression-era artists under the sponsorship of the U.S. government (e.g., Ben Shahn, Thomas Hart Benton).

The people of Pakistan were introduced to the art of murals by Sadequain. Lahore Museum’s ceiling, painted in 1973, is based on poet Allama Iqbal’s idea of ‘Khudi’ or ‘Self’, evoking the spirit of man to triumph over odds. It depicts man’s search for knowledge and ultimate triumph. Unlike most of Sadequain’s paintings and drawings which are full of angst, melancholy subjects and negation of his personal self in the tradition of the ‘fakeer’ show man at his most decadent and hypocritical, his murals always reflect optimism. Its interesting to note that Sadequain sold very few paintings in his life and most of his work was public.

Sadequain painted the ceiling of Lahore Museum in 1973, living and working in the building for six months. As Niilofur Farrukh writes in DAWN.

The mammoth painted ceiling of the Central Gallery at the Lahore Museum takes its inspiration from Iqbal’s verse ‘Sitaroon say agay jehan aur bhi hein, abhi ishq kay imtihan aur bhi hein’ (there are many worlds beyond the stars and many challenges yet to be met), the artist puts Adam and Eve on the centre stage and challenges them to harness the untapped energy of the universe. Curled in a cocoon like embryos the male and female figures seem to anticipate the moment of awakening. The panorama that surrounds them is a tightly knit constellation of stars and planets in motion. The large discs are depicted as a kinetic mass with halos that open up in a spiral of waves. This timeless process of destruction and construction in the skies, with large meteors spewing debris in their wake to herald the birth of new planets is shown against the dense black space of infinite galaxies. This allegorical references point both to the vast resources available to man and the constraints of time put on him to complete the mandate.

Another one of his early mural of mid 60s called Saga of Labor, based on the dignity of labor is housed in the Turbine room of Mangla Dam. ‘Saga of Labor’ is probably the largest mural in Pakistan.

The other famous murals of Sadequain include The Treasures of the Times – A mural for the State Bank in Karachi (100 x 12 ft) in 1961, a mural at Karachi’s Jinnah Hospital, Aligarh Muslim University (70 x 12 ft), Banaras Hindu University (70 x 12 ft), Geological Institute of India (70 x 25 ft). Then there are murals like War and Peace, Darkness and Light which can be viewed here. Click here for a very interesting slide show of Sadequain’s murals.

The mural below was painted by Sadequain in 1968 for Punjab University’s library.

One of the old Karachi Airport manager, Mr S. Hassan Shamsie, purchased several paintings of Sadequain in the mid and late 50s. These paintings were hung on the pillars of the foreign departure lounge. The most significant of them was a 1957 mural (40 ft long) on display on the railing of the departure hall of the old airport. All these murals and paintings remained there till the 80s. They are now in the house of a former DG Civil Aviation Authority in Islamabad. This mural and the paintings are public property and must be returned to the Karachi Airport.

I couldn’t find more details about Jinnah Hospital and old Karachi Airport murals so it would be great if any of the readers can tell us more about them, with images preferably. There is another mural by Sadequain in Paris at the PIA office at Champs Elysee. It was then PIA Chairman, Air Marshall Asghar Khan’s idea who felt that a PIA office in Paris needed to show off Pakistan’s greatest painter. There is another one in Lausanne at the Swiss Fair foreign commissions. I don’t have much details on that. Share with us if you know of any other mural by Sadequain.

Sadly, while working on his second ceiling at the Freer Hall in Karachi (above), the painter took ill and died leaving the work incomplete. Freer Hall was later named as Sadequain Gallery. I am not sure if there are many artists in Pakistan today, following the foot steps of Sadequain and keeping the art of murals alive in Pakistan. I only know of one young sculpture Jabbar Gul whose mural is placed in the entrance of Learning Resource Building of the State Bank. It documents the history of the Bank through the varieties of coins issued since independence.

Amidst all this the zeigiest has shaped the expression of Pakistani art, emancipating from the pits of oppression, regression, decadence and above all hope for a better future.

Pakistani art is rich with culture and expression. In Pakistan art exists in many forms, calligraphy, miniature art, painting, sculptor, and printmaking. All these art forms draw their inspirations from history and from the modernity of expression. The Pakistani artists seek to re-create text in a modern context, revive the art of miniature paintings, deal with the question of identity in reference to politics and culture and address the issue of gender through their work.

In the early post -1947 decades, the artists in Pakistan adopted Modernism as a metaphor for change and economic freedom. The society was emerging as a nation with an identity; an identity and a persona to develop. Today Pakistani art and artist cherishes metamorphic aesthetics, a sensibility that mushrooms over ideas, thoughts and wits. Budding over the conundrums of existence and capsizing the gargoyle of society, that spurts feverish anguish, anarchy and tyranny. Pakistani art/artist exposes naked truth; Truth that’s hidden in the universe to the truth with in, one reason why the Pakistani canvas is unbound.