KOLKATA: For the first time two works of Abdur Rahman Chughtai — who is recognized as Pakistan’s national artist and the founder member of the Pakistan Art Council — is on display at the museum exhibition titled ‘Ghare Baire — The World, The Home and Beyond’ in the renovated Currency Building. These rare works of art are significant because of their pan-Asian cultural identity and ability to transcend religious barriers.
Come February 13, Saturday screenings of a curated series of movies on Indian arts from the archives of Films Division is also being introduced at the exhibition. The series, including films by Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Purnendu Patri, will be inaugurated on Saturday by the director Buddhadeb Dasgupta. He will give a talk on art and cinema followed by special screenings of three films, including Ray’s ‘The Inner Eye’, Dasgupta’s ‘Ganesh Pyne’ and Patri’s ‘Kalighat Painting’. Those attending the talk can also see the two water colours by Chughtai on handmade paper.
Chughtai’s art remains a powerful reminder of the transnational cultural identity of the Bengal School, both in terms of the artists’ geographical origins and the stories they chose to tell. After getting a diploma in photo lithography from Lahore’s Mayo School of Art in 1914, Chughtai had learnt printmaking techniques and etching in London. “His work reflects the commitment of Abanindranath Tagore and the Bengal School to create a pan-Asian cultural identity and Chughtai makes Tagore’s signature wash technique his own,” said Sumona Chakravarty, deputy director of DAG Museums.
Chughtai’s contribution towards the entire subcontinent’s art, including his portraits based on Ghalib’s poetry, has been a subject of discussion in art corridors. His Persian training in wash technique with its colours and fine lines has helped him carve a niche for himself. Added to that was his choice of eclectic subjects, ranging from Buddhist themes, Hindu epics and Radha-Krishna scenes to illustrative paintings for Omar Khayyam’s ‘Rubaiyat’.
In ‘Worship’, the soft glow of lamps at the altar lights up the room where a woman goes to pray in quietude. The graceful lines that describe her drapery, her elongated fingers and covered face contribute to an almost enigmatic beauty that is characteristic of Chughtai’s art. The other untitled work shows a woman with a child learning to read or write with a stylus. This work shows him bringing together the “subtlety of Islamic architectural form” with “Art Nouveau aesthetics”. It is reminiscent of the art of Edmund Dulac for Omar Khayyam’s ‘Rubaiyat’ — a work Chughtai himself would later illustrate. His ability to create seemingly impossible fluidity out of geometric forms is a testament to his mastery over craftsmanship.