Born into a family of artists in Lahore, M. A. R. Chughtai learnt to draw from his father, Mia Karim Baksh. He obtained a diploma in photo lithography from the Mayo School of Art (now, National College of Arts), Lahore, in 1914, before learning printmaking techniques and etching in London. He also apprenticed under Abanindranath Tagore in Calcutta and toured Europe from 1927 to 1931, holding solo shows. Drawing equally from the aesthetic that was being developed by the Bengal School, literary cultures in Lahore and older forms of Persian and Mughal miniatures, Chughtai’s art presented a complex amalgamation of interests, leading him to be described by some critics as the first great Muslim modernist painter from South Asia. This image features his well-known application of an intricate structure of lines to delineate the two figures at the centre, with subtle shadings of colour, which allows him to balance the delicacy of the subject matter with the dexterity of his new artistic vision.
M. A. R. Chughtai
Untitled
Watercolour on handmade paper
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M. A. R. Chughtai
Untitled
Watercolour on handmade paper
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