Portrait of Death and Destruction

Altaf’s art bore his Marxist proclivities conspicuously. Coming of age in a seminal period of a newly-independent country also grappling with attendant problems of the era, Altaf, like most of his peers, responded sensitively. The disturbing title of this work is an epitome of many events in the life of the nation that it would rather forget. Done in dark, sombre shades, the highlight of the canvas is a woman in white gasping in horror—either she is a victim of carnage taking place in the background or a metaphor for death itself.