Reviving traditional ideas in a modern world

Artist Amin Chughtai influenced by Mughal courts and sub continental culture.

LAHORE: Amin Chughtai is influenced by the Persian and Arabic schools of art. He has a unique ability to meld together modern concepts mystical queries of the past. Amin’s work is influenced by his uncle Abdur Rehman Chughtai.

Amin left his degree at Punjab University incomplete as he felt it was not helping him achieve his dreams. He left for England in 1966. Amin is a follower of the old school of Mughal art and has struggled against the influence of modern art through his ‘contemporary Mughal’ work. Most of Amin’s paintings are figurative with women a strong presence. His work depicts the culture of the subcontinent. Most of his paintings have Mughal court themes. Amin has an eye for capturing the mood and gestures of his subject. Naheed Malik, who is doing her PhD thesis on Chugtai’s art, said, “Amin is capable of handling water colours. He mostly uses bright colours and mixes them very well. The features, in his work, are more ornamental than realistic, yet he manages anatomy skilfully. He has shown a lot of detail in his paintings. He has chosen subjects from all aspects of life, past and present. Some of his subjects are also western.” Malik went on to say, “Amin’s work takes a lot of inspiration from Chughtai. His work, though, is not as soft as Chughtai’s as he uses sharpness to attract the eye. However, his subjects are more realistic than Chughtai’s.  Chughtai’s work had a dream-like quality to it whereas Amin’s work is brighter and quite striking.” Holy Shrine has a strong composition and subject. In Senile the lines are drawn at a miniature level. In Goddess of Love he has depicted Krishna while western images come to play in Lost Thoughts.

Amin is very adept at handling unusual contrasts. His work includes shrines, courts and mosques.

Amin said, “I was an apprentice of Chughtai’s. My own work is traditional and based on the daily life in the subcontinent. I have great love for my culture and my work depicts that appreciation. Besides Mughal art, I have produced work on villages in the subcontinent and on old Lahore.” Arif Rehman Chughtai, who takes care of the Chughtai Museum and is a critic of Chughtai’s art, said “Amin is keeping an art tradition alive. I appreciate the fact that even though he is living in Germany, he works in the traditional manner.”

An exhibition of Amin Chughtai’s recent work starts on November 2 at Alhamra art gallery and will continue till November 11.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2010.