A WELL COMMENTED SHOW OF LAHORI GIRL AT OXFORD
RAZIA SIRAJUDDIN STEALS THE LIMELIGHT OF CRITICISM

English newspapers, BBC all wrote about same in praise

Sir William Rothenstein Principal of the Royal School of Arts was very fond of Razia Sirajuddin and viewed her future as an artist well. Razia Sirajuddin went to the Royal School of Arts and cleared same in flying colours. She made few paintings, first in Oils and then in Water colours. She was not interested in Western concepts and wanted her art to remain Eastern in its nature. Cubism and Sur-realism did not fascinate her. She never wanted to be another Picasso. In many ways her fascination was with M.A. Rahman Chughtai and she wrote the Introduction to his famous book CHUGHTAI’S PAINTINGS.

Razia Sirajuddin was at Oxford. The organizers requested her for a show and the same was held at Oxford. A lot of English critics covered her show. BBC carried reports about it. One of her paintings namely BLACK BURQA was heavily commented and appreciated by Western critics. The artist Chughtai spoke eloquently about her and her art. Unfortunately at the present moment we hardly know of her or have any reports to follow her. That is the tragedy of life!

There were a number of women artists in Pakistan and a number of names are with us. All stand forgotten with time. This society dos not nurture those who cannot do something about themselves. When the artist dies, so does his art. Another artist Razia Ferozuddin met the same fate. I saw many sketches done by Razia Ferozuddin and most of hem were nude studies. People threw them in the dustbin at risk of embarrassment. But luck saves Art, that is lfe too!