Paper saeed akhtar

Journal of Languages, Culture and Civilization Volume 3, Issue 3, September 2021, Pages: 177-189 Homepage: http: jlcc.spcrd.org ISSN(P): 2708-3748 Saeed Akhtar: As Stylized Pakistani Painter Tuba Najama, Prof. Dr. Samina Nasimb a Lecturer, Government College Women University Faisalabad Department of Fine Arts, Punjab University, Lahore b Chairperson, Corresponding author’s email: [email protected] Received: 18 July 2021, Published 30 September, 2021 Abstract Pakistani artists have persuaded themselves in the field of art in all over the world and Saeed Akhtar is one of them who is known for his expertise as a stylized figurative and portrait painter. Akhtar is a renowned artist, who is considered as a pioneer Painter whose contribution is valuable in Pakistan art scene. Many authors have written about his art, but his move from realism to stylization is not highlighted by anyone. In the present research, the stylization in the recent style of the artist along with analysis of his different artworks is the main objective of the research. The purpose of the present research is to trace out his outstanding skill and creativity through the journey of his art work from realism to distorted stylized figures. The focus of the research is to present the unusual style of Akhtar, which has developed through continuous effort and art practice during decades. His initial paintings are based on realism such as portraits and drawings in different mediums. His portrait and figure paintings of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (founder of Pakistan) are considered as the best tribute given to the beloved leader. His art work is critically analyzed with the reference to the selected paintings showing direct reference to his gradually transformed style towards stylization. The aim of the paper is to mention the presence of stylization as dominant component in the art of Pakistani painter. His stylization, design quality, rhythmic lines and strong composition all are a part of the research. Keywords Design elements, distortion, realism, stylization. DOI Number: 10.47067/jlcc.v3i3.66 © 2021 The authors. Published by SPCRD Global publishing. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attributions-NonCommercial 4.0 177 Introduction Saeed Akhtar was born in1938 and graduated from National College of Arts Lahore in 1964. He joined the same institute as a faculty member and continued to do the commissioned portrait paintings that he had been doing since his student life. In an interview he mentioned that he painted many portraits of Quaid-e-Azam displayed in Punjab Assembly, National Assembly Hall Islamabad, Pakistan Military Academy Kakul, Nadra Office Islamabad Assembly Hall Quetta, Governor House Lahore and Karachi. Portrait displayed in the State Bank of Pakistan is one of those commissioned works, which is unique due to its technique and skill (plate 1). Akhtar has an honor to create twenty-seven pencil sketches of important personalities who worked in the freedom movement of Pakistan. These were issued in the form of stamps by the Government of Pakistan on the 50th anniversary of Pakistan (Hassan, 218). He is a legendry artist of Pakistan whose name is an icon in Pakistani art and he is a seasoned artist of Pakistan since 1970s. Akhtar is one of the leading portrait painters of Pakistan and achieved popularity in the art of portrait painting during 1980s. Gradually with the passage of time his art converted into distorted stylized figures with symbolic interpretation of design elements. His style met a dramatic change and he started practice distortion and stylization as the main component of his art. Plate 1. Saeed Akhtar. Quaid-e-Azam portrait. Oil on Canvas. State Bank of Pakistan, Islamabad. Source: https://images.dawn.com/news/1181548 accessed Dec 30, 2020. Significance of his art work During the previous years, Akhtar’s art met a change, and keeping portraiture as his second love he changed his style and gave priority to a new way of expression, which was stylized and closer to design rather than realism. The work of Akhtar produced during 21st century was influenced by Chughtai’s art as well as it has a similarity with the art of Hajra Mansoor. The elongatedeyes, delicate linear details and decorative design in detail trace an inspiration from traditional miniature and Chughtai’s art. While the elongated and 178 exaggerated forms are directly associated with Akhtar’s creative thought, which he practiced throughout his career. Akhtar’s works convey a philosophical depth and charisma to the viewers. The choice of color is always fresh, even vibrant and bold at times, along with his fluent brush strokes. Although Akhtar was well known for his highly realistic portraits since 1960s but his style met a change during late 1990s and he started painting with his observation and imagination collectively. Akhtar’s art works are remarkable for compositional strength whether realistic or imaginary. His compositional strength can be compared with Shakir Ali’s work as well. The division of negative and positive spaces and then balancing the composition by using the flatly rendered negative space is a quality of Shakir Ali’s stylized compositions, borrowed by Akhtar as a strong inspiration of his work. “Sketch” is a charcoal drawing by Akhtar, which is highly stylized in appearance (plate 2). Here an elongated female figure is drawn by the artist having both exaggeration of form and simplification achieved through omitting all details, making it a highly stylized piece of art. The lines of jewelry especially bangles and other detail of body parts and feel of flesh, are all lyrical and firm with appearance of tonal variety at the same time, where Akhtar has added circular details to create feeling of design and movement in the entire composition. The use of space to balance the composition is obvious in the art work. Plate 2. Saeed Akhtar. Sketch. 2011. Charcoal on Paper. 31 inches x 43 inches. Hamail Art Gallery, Lahore. Source: http://www.hamailartgalleries.com/art/4145 Accessed October 10,2018. Saeed Akhtar is among the first batch of students who studied under the supervision of Shakir Ali. According to Akhtar, he had well studied and learnt about each and every form of art, for example drawing, drafting, design, miniature and sculpture and all these 179 practices arestill part of his creativity. He preferably practiced stylization instead of realistic art. Saeed Akhtar has used elongated and exaggerated human anatomy on his art work “Sketch” created by the artist in 2011 (plate 2). This image rendered in charcoal on paper, is an important example from the transitional phase of the artist, during which he was moving towards modern stylized way of expression, rather than using realistic forms to convey his ideas to the viewers. In “Untitled 2012” a female nude with distorted elongated nude back of female figure is painted on canvas. It is rendered in a highly stylized manner. It is elongated, simplified yet decorative and carefully handled by the artist (plate 3). In the painting feet of the figure are painted in detail but the torso is distorted and elongated instead of concentrating on accurate proportions. Additionally, the decorative details and design elements are added in the composition. He also painted the hair in flat manner and elaborate the form as a design pattern. Jewelry and hair dominant in entire composition. Feel of flesh is skillfully painted Infront of different shades of green leaves, which are giving an effect of decorative design pattern having strong composition of verity of leaves. Flatly rendered two dimensional leaves in the background and the flat green colored application in the remaining part of the canvas, all create a simplified impact in the composition. Effect of light is dominating the foreground and contours of the main figure, adding drama and romance to the entire composition. Jewelry design and delicate details of jewelry and ornamentation add more depth and interest in the art work which is a combination of stylized impact created by drawing, design and miniature details. Birds in the composition play symbolic roll showing freedom of women with peaceful existence. The feet of the figure as well as the feathers of bird are treated with much expertise by the artist, somehow the art work is symbolic and stylized collectively. The feeling of longing and pathos are clear by the gestures of hands, the back shown in the painting and by the atmosphere of silence created by the artist. 180 Plate 3. Saeed Akhtar. Untitled., 2012. Oil on Canvas. 36 inches x 60 inches. Hamail Art Gallery, Lahore. Source: http://www.hamailartgalleries.com/art/4193 Accessed October 10,2018. Like Shakir Ali, Saeed Akhtar also used limited color palette especially in some of his earlier works. The compositional value and use of space in Shakir Ali’s paintings is the main characteristic that influenced Saeed Akhtar’s art. During his student life he understood about the process of portrait and figure painting. He knew about the figurative works of cave painters till miniature paintings of Mughals. He all knew that how stylization was added to the miniature painting, and how delicate and lyrical line being the main characteristic of Mughal miniatures for centuries (Rasheed, 2010).The lyrical line and stylization isprincipal characteristic of Akhtar’s art since the last two decades, fromthe start of 21st Century to present day. Plate 4. Saeed Akhtar. Untitled. 2015. Oil on Canvas. 48 inches x 48 inches. Hamail Art Gallery, Lahore. Source: http://www.hamailartgalleries.com/art/4066 Accessed October 11,2018. 181 Plate 5. Saeed Akhtar. Untitled. 2013. Oil on Canvas. 36inches x 36inches. Hamail Art Gallery, Lahore. Source: http://www.hamailartgalleries.com/art/4180 Accessed October 11, 2018. In addition to his colored paintings, hismonochrome paintings and charcoal drawings also have a stylized and decorative quality in them, which add more strength to his art works (plate 4 and 5). Saeed Akhtaris known for his strong line and remarkable composition throughout his career. The painting “Untitled 2015” is a figure witha combination of vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines of arms, hands and finger, with the angular and curved representation of hair are creating a feeling of movement along with the depth created through flat background with variety of warm colors. Collectively they are providing negative space to balance the whole composition (plate 4). The painting shows joy of life through rich vibrant background, lyrical lines of hair presenting impression of movement and semi-nude female figure with jewelry.Flat back ground with tonal variation adds to the rhythm present in the composition through angular posture of the figure and lyrical lines used to present the moving hair of the female model. Stylization and simplification of form are among the basic characteristics of the painting, along with limited color palette and design details of jewelry and hair respectively. According to Akhtar, every human being is beautiful; but the most attractive and fascinating feature in human being is hair. The movement flow and charm present in the hair create a feeling og=f beauty and grace in Saeed Akhtar’s art, which are the essential part of his art. The paintings arerendered skillfully. He has given special attention to render thepainting under discussion. The hair is painted by the use of circular brush strokes, creating a feeling of flow and delicacy through lyrical lines creating a design like quality in the composition. Plate 6. Saeed Akhtar. Untitled. 2014. Oil on Canvas. 36inches x 36 inches. Hamail Art Gallery, Lahore. Source: http://www.hamailartgalleries.com/art/4181 Accessed October 11, 2018. 182 In an interview, the artist told the author that he is neither specifically a portrait painter nor he likes to be called as a portrait painter only. He further explained the idea that he has skilled in all forms of art from portraiture to sculpture, from print making to drawing and he has done it with a lot of experimentation during his student life. Furthermore, he explained about the change occurring in his work gradually. He mentioned about the focus on design elements because he also practiced them during his student life. He added that he used to make random sketches from his own imagination and afterwards he arranged the figures and angular compositions on his canvases. He has a limited palette, which is quite impressive. According to him beauty lies in colors, but repetition is not a good thing so he feels blessed on being restricted by nature in the seeing of certain colors, because according to him, he cannot recognize and memorize colors so he can not repeat one kind of colors in another painting. It is a reason that his every painting has its own distinct qualities and characteristics. Moreover, explaining his move from realistic to stylized art, he explained that his new style is a result of the mixture of different techniques and art forms he had learnt during his student life, including miniature and graphic designing along with the experimentation practiced during final year of his student life, to create something unique and innovative instead of following the previous art traditions. In this perspective, the present style of the artist seems to be a combination of everything that he had learnt being a student, so his recent work has stylization created through lyrical line and presented in varying but strong compositional settings. (Akhtar, Saeed. (2013,06,25) interview) Stylized, semi-abstract figures on Akhtar’s canvases created with the use of lyrical flowing lines provide a second aspect of his skill to the viewers. Khalid Mahmood, a Pakistani artist, has discussed the gradual move of Akhtar from realistic to stylized forms and he has also enhanced the design elements special emphasis on line. (Mahmood 2009) In two paintings by Akhtar, “Untitled 2013” and “Untitled 2014”, the artist has used lyrical brush strokes to create stylized visuals on the canvas (plate 5 and 6). The figures are much like design than a painted visual and have the characteristics of contrast, two-dimension, ornamentation and flat application of colors. More over the elements of enhancing and using the negative and positive spaces are also present in these art works. In “Untitled 2013”, figure is composed in circular linear drawing on a flat green background, which contrasts the black and white stylized portrait painting by Akhtar (Plate 5). Circular lines of hair as well as the design details of jewelry add a feeling of stylization and decorative aspect to this work of art. In “Untitled 2014”, the artist has painted the subject inside a circular space, stylized lyrical hair are painted by Akhtar, and the color palette has brown and earth colors in the art piece of Akhtar (plate 6). The hair is painted in purely stylized manner while the exposure of half face and jewelry are rendered in a quite realistic manner with details added by the artist. Square canvas has the white space left blank and makes the viewer focus on the composition painted in middle of the canvas. Stylization is created in this art work by design-like rendering of hair in circular strokes, while the negative space left untouched and borrowed from Shakir Ali. The above-mentioned works of the artist, present him more as a designer than a fine artist. 183 Plate 7. Saeed Akhter. Girl in White. 2017. Oil on Canvas. 24 inches x 36 inches. Exhibition 11th April 2019, Clifton Art Gallery, Karachi. Source: http://cliftonartgallery.com/innovative-and-prolific-saeed-akhtar-exhibitionpage-2/ Accessed October 11, 2018. Plate 8. Saeed Akhtar. Untitled.2017 I. Oil on Canvas. 24inches x 36inches. Exhibition 11th April 2019, Clifton Art Gallery, Karachi. 184 Source: http://cliftonartgallery.com/innovative-and-prolific-saeed-akhtar-exhibitionpage-2/ Accessed October 11, 2018. Plate 9. Saeed Akhtar. Untitled. 2017 II. Oil on Canvas. 24inches x 36inches. Exhibition 11th April 2019, Clifton Art Gallery, Karachi. Source: http://cliftonartgallery.com/innovative-and-prolific-saeed-akhtar-exhibitionpage-2/ Accessed October 11, 2018. “Girl in White” is a painting by Saeed Akhtar, where a girl wearing white dress and dopatta is painted with less details and the joy on her face is linked with the flowers and butterflies present in Saeed’s work. The jewelry presents contentment as well as symmetry and design elements. Elongated figure, flatly rendered background foliage and butterflies all are rendered in stylized manner.the eyes of the model and jewelry are rendered with minute details and delicacy while the white dress is painted in linear design-like rendering. The background foliage and butterflies are painted using a somehow monochromatic palette with variation and interest created through balancing tones used by Akhtar. The background is treated in a less realistic design-like style. According to MominaSibtain, an art critic, writing in “Express Tribune”, Saeed Akhtar is the Michelangelo of Pakistan. Akhtar imagineshorses and female figures in a way according to his own imagination and then shifts them to his canvases adding more texture and interest to the subjects of his art works.Akhtar told Sibtain that hair of his model is the most conspicuous feature of their personality in his opinion.Hair of Akhtar’s models have a fluidity and lyrical quality that is added to his canvases in an exaggerated 185 manner, and this fluidity and lyrical quality of hair is the reason that hair are the favorite of Saeed Akhtar as a painter. About the varying features of his models, Akhtar explained that during Pilgrimage he observed the different features of people, especially of those from African countries. He found the beauty in the varying features and made them a part of his later compositions. This is the reason behind dark complexion and filled lips of some of his stylized females painted in his figure compositions.Saeed Akhtar believes in process and change during an art career, and the journey of the artist through different styles and techniques is the proof of his thought.stylization is the final destination of the artist so far.(Sibtain, 2012) The lyrical quality of hair in nature matches the flowing lines of Saeed Akhtar and this mutual quality among hair and his work, makes hair the most favorite aspect for him among all the other features of female beauty, among which the eyes come on second place in terms of priority. Expression and drama created by eyes in Akhtar’s figure paintings, has no match indeed but recalls the eyes of female figures of Chughtai and Hajra Mansur, which can be seen in “Untitled 2013” and “Girl in White” respectively (plate 5 and plate 7). “Girl in White” is among the quite recent works by Akhtar, where he merges realism with stylization in his specific way (plate 7). The eyes of model are elongated and exaggerated in size, but entirely the facial features are rendered indetail with shading and realistic perfection. On the other hand, in realism a contrast is created by stylized rendering of drapery and background. The folds of drapery are suggested through flowing lines while the background is filled with flatly rendered multi-colored leaves by the artist. Thus, the stylized composition presents mastery of artist in realistic art, portraiture, stylization and design altogether. Saeed Akhtar held a solo exhibition of his works at Saeed Akhtar Studio Johar Town Lahore, in 2015, after a four years gap, as he exhibited his work for the last time in 2011. The book launch of the book “Saeed Akhtar” comprising of images of his paintings, drawings and sketches also took place along with the exhibition. According to the artist, he has used many different mediums in his recent works, including oil painting, charcoal and mix media techniques. “Moments of love” is a painting from Saeed Akhtar’s solo exhibition held in 2015. The horses, foreground and background are rendered in stylized manner. Movement is an important element in Akhtar’s art, which can also be seen in the painting under discussion. The subjects are posed in moving postures, against a flatly rendered background using a green palette, adding colors of nature to the composition. Stylized horses, lacking the details present a design-like composition collectively. Line and color are important aspects in the stylized compositions of Akhtar, which can be observed in the current art work as well.(Staff reporter, 2015). 186 Plate 10. Saeed Akhtar. Movements of Love. Oil on Canvas.48inches x 36inches.Solo Exhibition 15Nov 2015, Saeed Akhtar Studio, Lahore. Source: https://oysterartgalleries.com/collection/sub-moments-of-love-2858 (accessed November 21, 2021). In his recent works, Akhtar reduces the forms to the most simplified images and afterwards he embellishes them with design and decorative elements. He has a number of skills combined in one personality, like form, texture and color hold a special place in his art, which he continues to cherish throughout his career. (Zuberi, 2015) He transforms real images in a new manner, following his own imagination along with observation, creating new stylized visuals in front of the viewers, which can be seen in “Girl in White” (plate 07). He loves exaggeration either in the form of body or in the expressions of the subject being painted (plate 08). The female figure is painted in stylized elongated manner, with exaggeratingly big eyes, while the hair and jewelry pendant add design to this composition. The dark complexion of the figure is balanced with the dark grey brown background of the painting. Hair of the figure are rendered through flowing lines, in a stylistically design-like manner. The stylized way of expression became the most 187 conspicuous quality of the artist since late 1990s till the present day. “Untitled 2017 II” is a painting by Akhtar, which presents a lyrically rendered figure full of movement and interest, where the hair, jewelry and dress details all are rendered using a design-like quality by the artist. Orange color palette adds drama and richness to the whole composition. There is movement in the composition on the whole, created through lyrical lines of hair, jewelry and dress details. The posture of figure and the details of threads added to the dress adds interest and design quality to the painting. Conclusion Akhtar’s journey from realism to stylization opens a new chapter in Pakistani art. His understanding about line, colourand texture, with the amalgamation of design quality enhance the composition to show high merits inart and aesthetics. Simplified forms with necessary details, distorted and exaggerated female figures have been painted according to his own interest and thought. Observation and compositional value carry an important place in his art along with line, texture and ornamentation. Design elements interlinked with each other create interesting compositions and decorative details. He creates a collective presentation of all his skills on a single canvas. He has used different textural effects in his paintings as well, by creating textured linear effects and thin oil paint to add transparency in his paintings. His recent paintings are highly stylized, with minute details for interest and beauty. He has developed his own individual style during the passing decades and the changes he brought in his art in the form of style and expression are exceptional. The research was based on an important aspect of Saeed Akhtar’s art work showing distortion, stylization and symbolic representation of elements. A visible change of his style and expression took him to the peak of his career. The stylization in the recent style of the artist along with analysis of his different artworks was the main objective of this research which was an addition to the data compiled by different historians and art critiques. References 1. Hassan, Shazia (2018, Dec 26) Special Exhibition of Quaid’s Portraits Opens at SBP Museum, Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/1453542/special-exhibition-ofquaid-portraits-opens-at-sbp-museum 2. Rasheed, Ashfaq (2010) Art in Pakistan: Tradition and Trends. Pakistan Writers Cooperative Society, 76. 3. Akhtar, Saeed. (2013, June 25, 2013) Personal communication. 4. Mahmood, Khalid (2009) Saeed Akhtar. Research and Publication Department, Tropical Printers, 42. 5. Sibtain, Momina (2012, May 27) Saeed Akhtar: When Art and Passion Collide, The Express Tribune. https://tribune.com.pk/story/384931/saeed-akhtar-when-artand-passion-collide/ (accessed Nov 04, 2018) 6. Zuberi, Nadeem (2015, Nov 21) Art Facts: Saeed Akhtar, An Iconic Artist, Business Recorder. https://fp.brecorder.com/2015/11/201511211248870/ (accessed Mar 05, 2018) 188 7. Zuberi, Nadeem (2019, May 14) Into Master Artist Saeed Akhtar’s Ethereal World, The News International. https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/471279-into-masterartist-saeed-akhtars-ethereal-world (accessed Mar 05, 2018) 8. Staff Reporter (2015, November 15) Saeed Akhtar Exhibits Work After Four Years, Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/1219809 (accessed November 21, 2021) 189