SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED, SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN; 
CAPTURED NEXUS OF CHUGHTAI ART: A MOMENT IN TIME.

We all know that a painting on  a flat surface is  basically a two dimensional thing, yes it has a length and breath. Artists cannot do much about it, and work in that limitation. But Masters go forward, to introduce a third dimension in it, depth of the work is created, by in-fluxing of images in it of different proportions, to give an air of depth. M.A. Rahman Chughtai is indeed a Master of creating this in-depth illusion, and we find most of his paintings using the background to highlight depth of the worth. One or two figures may be sitting or standing, but then in the background, from near the figures, to far away in horizon, depths are created by use of different size images. Third dimension is always there in Chughtai Art.

But another very difficult proposition is created with it. On a flat surface, image of a movement is created. It tells us that before that image, something happened, and after that image something else will happen. And that moment in time is captured by the artist and defines the character of his observational undertaking of a moment in time. People without insight may not notice it, but there is movement in Chughtai Art. His eyes not only zoom in and out all the time, but move in other directions too. A dancer’s gown may be moving, a direct impression of a blowing wind, or even a raised hand in act of throwing something, or catching something. Observe the painting of two Hindu girls watching a contest of warriors, and the desire to select one hero, by throwing a lotus on his feet. Two ladies one has made a choice and is throwing same, the other is still thinking of same. Reflect the dimension of this masterpiece and it shows the Master in movement of the moment in time. A remarkable artist in remarkable moves on flat surfaces. A finite move in multi-directional possibilities. Only remarkable eyes can notice this movement.

Whenever a painting was completed, the artist would seek opinion of others on same. If we the family were around, he would ask us. If not, he would even ask the ignorant cleaner lady sweeping the floor nearby. Yeh tasveer kay baray may keya khail hai? She would reply ” Bahut piyari hai Sahib jee“. Of Course it never stopped there. He would invite others to check out his creation, The feedback always enriched him. He listened to others with attention. Gathering data for future creations. One of a kind Ustad in all ways.

I remember one day my father showed me a painting he had done of a Shepherd. He asked me my opinion. But added that he wanted to tell me the source of his inspiration. Recently a painter had been through the toilet. And there was some spilling on the door wooden frame. While sitting on the desi Turkish toilet, he was observing the trickled drop of a white wash. In his eyes came the shape of a shepherd tending his goats. We have the work with us even today. We will add it for view. 
Chughtai Sahib is famous for his flowing line, but few people know that he was fond of studying the movement of water, as inspiration for his art. He was fond of throwing stones in pool of water or even the river itself. The ripples he would carefully  notice. Not many people will know that Rembrandt made many etchings of people urinating in the streets. Urination was also an inspiration for the artist. In desi (Turkish) toilets of his time, when a person urinated, the flow would reach the floor in front of him. An artist always notices this flow. Once a Canadian artist came to our museum and he too talked of this natural flow and its study of movement. Chughtai Sahib himself told me that he was careful in study of the flow of his urine on the floor, before throwing water on it. It was a pack load of information on flow of natural stream. Who would know it? Not the ignoramus critics of Pakistan, who take pride in worshipping modern Western Art as stooges of the West. Always searching for ideal landscapes with small cut pieces of various magazines. Or verbatim kicking our Ideology with red paint spilled over roofs as signs of our terrorism. Or hovering of black clouds over our entire region. Or a pornographic display behind the gauze of a woman’s burqa. Or Mullahs with faces of pigs, or even thrashing their wives with dandas. All this is a pack load of bullshit on behalf of Western lobbies. Facilities matter, not the country, or its Ideology. Very few artists remained with pride for their heritage, and M.A. Rahman Chughtai was the foremost in them. But this heritage he took forward. Basil Gray wrote about him in 1977, as:

“By his natural gift for colour harmony and for sensitive and lively line assiduously developed, Chughtai was enabled to achieve a personal style which at the same time appeared like a flesh blossom grafted into an old stock, and this at the same time both old and new.”

Of all the critics he enjoyed sharing his art, were Dr Muhammed Din Taseer, Malik Shamas (both close friends), and the indomitable Razia Sirajuddin, a woman of substance, with great insight in his art.