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Iqbal Hussain
– the enfant terrible
of Pakistan art
interviewed by
Salman Minhas
[Information
Engineers, Lahore,
Pakistan].
at Iqbal Hussain’s Coco’s Den and Haveli,
Lahore
Copyright the-south-asian.com
'Girl in
chains' - Iqbal Hussain
What
was your most satisfying exhibition gallery?
Lahore
Art Gallery was most satisfying for me. Sheila Saol’s place. I had very good
shows there. I had a group show and a one-man show. John Walls [World Bank
Pakistan Country director] bought a lot of my paintings privately. Then I
had a successful show in Islamabad [courtesy the above WB gentleman] that
took place in 2003. Before that many foreigners had bought my paintings.
Pakistan entered, for the first time, in the south Asian painting
exhibition, in 1998, Sheila organized it. My painting was auctioned for four
thousand pounds at the London Sotheby’s in 1998.
Have
you ever been to India?
Yes I
have gone to India 3 or 4 times. I have done some group shows in
Delhi
but they were organized by the government.
Recently M.F. Hussain Sahib was here from India.
Yes he
was here sometime ago. He came to the college for demonstration. He also did
an exhibition here in Alhamra Arts Council. I can’t tell you how the crowd
here were doing his puja, praising him – but the same crowd never encourages
local painters or takes interest in their exhibitions. But such is the
mentality of our people. Personally, I have never liked Hussain. What is the
big deal in making horses etc? He plays to the audience. Moves around in
bare feet ….
Personally who do you like as a painter in this region - India, Bangladesh,
Pakistan etc?
Frankly
speaking I don’t like anyone.
Any
particular artists /painters whose work has especially impressed you. ?
Sculptures, Paul Gaugin, Leonardo Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Degas. As one grows
one changes, but these artists have been influential.
When
is a painting finished?
It’s a
difficult thing to say. If one over paints, keeps on working, one can spoil
it …. and if one thinks this is it, and one can’t go beyond it, then one
should leave it at that. That’s how I do it, that’s my way…
In
your paintings there pervades a seriousness, a heaviness, a sadness and a
brooding quality – your comments- is this a subconscious element coming out
in the paintings?
I think
you are right, because the models I paint always have this element. The
models sit for months, and because one can’t sit in silence, I keep talking
to them and 99 percent of this talk ends up in the models tears. Because no
one listens to their stories - neither their customers nor anybody else
wants to listen to their tragic stories - so this is how I get their
respect. I am also involved in that which unconsciously comes in to the
paintings.
Can
you comment on old Lahore culture and character?
I am
saddened by the destruction of
Lahore’s
old houses. Only during Shabaaz Sharif’s time did they pay any attention to
this part of Lahore. During elections the politicians make promises and
never come back. There is not a single school for children in this area. I
have been shouting, but nobody bothers. Kamran Lashari did a great job, of
creating this area’s street lighting, because one could not even walk
through this area earlier - there were drugs, and are still available
easily, although the police tries to control this.
The old
walled city of Lahore and its people are very caring neighbours, and
straightforward folk; once a model sold her chain to help someone. They are
big-hearted; at Hazoori Bagh there are still recitals of Heer Ranjha in the
evenings. These people are united and look after each other, weddings,
rishtaas are arranged informally on tharas [house entrances], the
joint family system is still strong.
What
is your advice to young painters of this generation?
My
advice to young painters is that they should work honestly and should be
more concerned with themselves and their culture, rather than be bothered by
what’s happening in New York, or the current fad / fashions. The market
should not comm
and them, rather
they should command the market.….it’s a very long struggle for 20 to 30
years ……
Sadat
Hasan Manto made the observation that Muslim women are very hard, and there
is no softness .Do you find that is true or is it just a poor
generalization.
No, I
don’t think so; as far as I am concerned, knowing these women over the years
and having known the models and having drinks with them, they are more
human, more soft, very helpful, its unbelievable ………
What
are your views on marriage, love, and women’s suppressed position in
Pakistan?
I have a
lovely wife. Ours was a totally arranged marriage, and she gave us 6 lovely
kids, 5 daughters and 1 son. We are living happily. But you can’t get
everything in life, especially a painter and I think she played a great role
in my life, being patient. She knows my whereabouts and she is very
sensible, all the credit goes to her.
What
about the high rise buildings/plazas in
Lahore?
These
big multi-nationals, the McDonalds, etc scare me. Because they have so much
money they should be stopped, ……there should be a stop to all this, but no
one seems to be concerned.
There
is a Heritage Foundation of
Lahore?
Yes it
exists. They have done nothing. I have seen houses being destroyed. About
250 houses were recently demolished inside the walled old city. Why don’t
you preserve them, why don’t you give them small loans? What are they going
to put up in their place? …Their only response is to destroy them.
What
is a typical day for you?
I rise
early in the morning by
5 a.m.
I go to the Ravi
river to paint. Then it is breakfast, a bit of TV, supervision of Cuco’s
Café. Again, between
7 p.m. and 9 p.m., I
paint. I am an early sleeper.
The
German Foreign Minister was here at Cuco’s, so were The British Defence
secretary, and Mr. Jinnah’s daughter and grandson. Pakistan World Bank
country Director John Walls has bought a 3.5 marlas [80 square yards] house
next to mine in the old city of Lahore. Hashwani [ owner of a Pearl
Continental Hotels in Pakistan] bought a building in the courtyard where my
house is. I have resigned from the National College of Arts.
Would
you like to say a few words on the state of Art education and painting in
Pakistan?
The two
institutions of art - Punjab University & National College of Arts are
deteriorating. And the state of affairs today? It is pathetic. I think we
need experienced teachers to look after and provide written guidelines for
the institutions. Is this what we call our Asia – Mohenjo Daro, a 5000 years
old civilization? Who is going to paint our people? How are we going to
build our culture?
The West
has painted its lands and its people. They have their Louvres and Museums of
Art. Who will paint our people? Nobody. Because our teachers and
administrators know nothing and are concerned only about their seats and
jobs. I am very disturbed by all this. So that’s why I put in an early
retirement at NCA. What’s going on? What is happening is simply copying
things from America. The Board of Governors does not know a bit of what is
happening in these institutions. Nobody paints workingmen and women in the
countryside.
One
notices that in some of your paintings, there is always a mirror in which
either your face or the subject is reflected in the paintings.
Yes that
is correct, but it has been done without planning or pre-meditation. I don’t
know why I do this, can’t understand it.
*****
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