Over a half century of artwork by a single hand

Mian Ijazul Hassan’s wife, a critic, has written and compiled new book

LAHORE: A book titled Mian Ijazul Hassan - Five Decades of Painting, containing 256 images of paintings and photographs, was launched at the Unicorn Art Gallery on Thursday.

Written and compiled by the artist’s wife Dr Musarrat Hassan, the book has images of paintings and photographs from the life of the artist, accompanying textual details primarily highlighting the context under which his work was produced.



Speaking on the occasion, writer and senior art critic Dr Musarrat said books on art were the second best alternative to living works of art as it is another splendid way of exhibiting and displaying paintings for the viewers.

“It has additional advantage of providing historical perspective of the artist’s life within the context of events and ideas in period which artworks were produced,” said Dr Musarrat.



“When I was asked to write a book on Ijazul Hassan, I thought about it for a while and then decided. I opted to take up this task because my companionship with my husband has enabled me to witness events in his life,” Dr Musarrat.

Ijazul Hassan is an artist with multiple concerns, the continuous struggle of man to uphold his dignity and espouse human aspirations has been the artist’s theme, she said.

Explaining the inspirational process behind Ijazual Hassan’s work, she said that his love for literature enabled him to locate symbols and metaphors in complex patterns of life around him and to express his concerns through them.

“Throughout his painting career, the artist has used metaphors that in simplest form bring home to the viewer the meaning, he wanted to convey,” she added. These interests have freely mingled with imminent nostalgic perceptions of life, nature, common sights and events to produce paintings, reflecting his changing moods and circumstances, she added.

“Imagery and innuendo, the intimacy and delicacy, the right rays of optimism and the sore tones of despondency - in fact the whole range of his personal feelings have governed his creative impulse and imagination during more than 50 years of his life as a painter,” she added.

Ijazul Hassan said for him painting should come like leaves to a tree and he painted with the same instinctive urge.

Ijazul Hassan said that in the book Musarrat has managed to adapt the genesis of the painters, which is very important element for any art critic. “A critic should know the painter’s mind and what affected his/her feelings and the social circumstances in which he worked.”



Speaking as a panellist, senior art critic and faculty member of the National College of Arts Quddus Mirza said that  as a an art student he never read a single line in the art book instead preferred to read, live through and enjoy the artwork.

“However, the book by Dr Musarrat has changed my  routine, both the author and her subject require the serious engagement with text since the subject, like a banyan tree, is not easy to understand,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2017.