Painting: The spots of contention
Farhan Siddiqui
For many artists engaged in painting cityscapes, merely the faithful
recording of an area is more valuable than how the artist perceives it
and translates it on the two dimensional surface. Quddus Mirza observes
while reviewing Mehboob Ali's recent exhibition
Who was the first man to touch the surface of the moon with his feet?
(or more precisely with the soles of his astronomical boats). The
answer to this is a recoded fact as that person was Neil Armstrong. The
achievement related to moon is minor compared to the problem the
painters of Lahore are facing these days. The most important issue in
the art circles of this city is: who 'invented' the Lahorescape, a
popular and precious genre in the current art.
The issue became a burning debate in the recent exhibition of Mehboob
Ali. A contemporary of the artist, who is involved in counselling and
directing the visual art of Punjab, reportedly accused Mehboob Ali of
stealing his spots. By spots he did not mean the facial marks but the
area/views of Lahore he had selected or already painted in oils and
pastels. The exhibiting artist vehemently denied these allegations and
stated that, in reality, he is the one who started depicting Lahore
along with Aijaz Anwar since 1974, the year when the other painter
might have been still in the art school.
This battle for registering an image (in fact, the piece of land) can
be considered part of fun by some, but in the context of art, it
reveals other serious aspects. That there are artists who are known for
or aspire to be acknowledged not on the aesthetic value of their works,
but solely on the recognisable quality of their subject matter. It is
suspected that the conflict of claiming landscape will inflate further,
if it is not stopped immediately. The sons of the soil may end up
spending less time viewing and painting the spot/locations, and more in
the courts on legal land pursuits along with other property feuds.
The episode in the exhibition signifies the artists' point of view
towards art and the subject matter. For many, engaged in this kind of
work, merely the faithful recording of an area is more valuable than
how the artist perceives it and translates it on the two dimensional
surface. One can glimpse the same approach in the works of Mehboob
Ali's recent exhibition. The show was held from November 9-18 at Ejaz
Gallery Lahore comprising 31 pastels on paper of same size, depicting
various sections of old Lahore. The similarity among the works lies not
only in the subject matter and size, but in the compositions as well.
The scale of building and human beings do not vary from one painting to
the other. The amount of sky painted in 29 works is the same regardless
of the change of view. The horizon line also runs parallel in each
painting. It all displays a formulated attitude of the artist towards
the division of space.
The singularity of vision is evident in the handling of medium as well.
Any material becomes full of possibilities in the hands of artist, as
the varying pressure of hand extracts the range of tones and textures
contained in one medium. In relation to this, the use of pastel in
Mehboob's work appears mechanical and flat. A reason for this may lie
in the artist's long attachment to the medium of wood cut. The process
and materials of woodcut produce even layers of colour on the paper,
and the same sensibility is repeated in these pastels. The artist
unfortunately had to abandon the wood block carving due to an illness.
His doctor advised him to choose some other simple and less laborious
methods of self expression. (It wouldn't be a very bad idea if a
similar kind of treatment is suggested to a lot of other artists).
All the pastels on paper have depiction of Lahore as the only subject.
Occasionally it is enhanced with identifiable images such as the
building of Government College and the Kim's Gun on the Mall. The rest
of the works are based on the streets and passages of old town. The
presence of human figures seems odd in this scheme. The figures do not
configure as the part of environment or participants in the activities.
Due to their postures and position, the people appear to be placed just
to serve the purpose of filling the empty space between two buildings.
The drawing of these figures, like the bunch of bananas and leaves of
trees in a few works, is not well-observed compared to the buildings.
In Mehboob's art, like other painters fascinated with the city of
Lahore (at the right moment and close to the celebration of 1500 years
of Lahore, which it is feared may be suspended after the fall of the
throne of Lahore), the visible signs of cultural heritage are
represented in the shape of domes and traditionally carved wooden
balconies. The areas he selected to paint look immaculately clean,
which is in direct contrast to the actual situation of the place. It is
the artist who in the realm of images performed the function which
practically is the responsibility of the inhabitants of the area and
employees of the Metropolitan Corporation.
Along with the buildings of cultural significance, the artist attempted
to capture the dramatic impact of light trapped in the narrow streets.
An idea which loses its graphic possibilities, because the intensity of
light and the range of darks are rendered in the same amount in each
work. This quality reflects that all paintings are derived from a
formula rather than constructed on pure observation.
The act of observation in Mehboob Ali's work is carried and portrayed
in a manner which can be labelled as photographic. This certainly does
not imply that paintings are made after the photographs. And even if
this is the process, it is a completely valid and acceptable method.
One is free to use references either from nature or its photographed
replicas or from other sources for the sake of creative necessities.
The distinct trait of his work which brings it near to the photography,
is the experience of viewing it. One gets the same sensation on looking
at his work.
The experience of observing reality and photographs are two different
phenomena. In the act of looking at the reality, because of its scale
and width, one cannot focus at the same time on all the components of
the viewed area. The eye shifts from one point to the other, focusing
one portion and blurring the others in a constant state of flux.
Whereas in the photographs, the camera focuses on vast areas of reality
at one time. Its outcome, in the form of a picture with its details, is
focused and can be seen in one glance. Experiencing the works in the
show matches the process of looking at the mechanically produced
reality, as each part of the painting is equally focused and visible.
Visiting the exhibition of Mehboob Ali, one realises that the artists'
habit of allotting the ideal locations to themselves for the rest of
their lives is an act which can be described as narrowing the vision
and qabza grouping of image makers, if one holds the courage to bear
the truth.
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