“My art is strongly influenced by the stories I heard when I was young, from
Islamic religious texts. Also some of the Persian fairy tales which my
mother used to recount, has influenced my work.”
A R Chugtai was born on 21st September, 1897 to an ancient Persian family of
artists. His ancestor, Ahmed Chugtai, was also a reputed artist and the
chief architect in the court of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
Educated at the Mayo School of Art, Lahore from 1911 to 1913, he was a
student of Bengal artist Samarendranath Gupta. That’s why, in his works, you
see a mix of techniques used by the Bengal artists and the Persian miniature
style, a heritage of his ancestry.
In 1913, due to the untimely death of his father, Chugtai had to leave his art
education mid-way. He made his living as a photographer, and then as an art
teacher. In 1915, Lionel Health, Principal of Mayo Art School brought him
back to the school, this time not as a student but as an instructor in the
chromolithography department.
Initially, Chugtai freely painted Hindu mythology, until Hindu-Muslim unity
soured and separate nationhood became imminent.
Chugtai contributed directly to a growing Muslim cultural nationalism
through his works. He was, perhaps, the first Muslim artist to use Islamic
classics to express feelings of community that was degenerating under
colonialism. Tracing his lineage to the Persian architects at the Mughal courts,
he visited Delhi several times to see the Mughal architecture that his
ancestors had helped build.
Chugtai was also one of the most accomplished printmakers in the
subcontinent, having studied this art in London during his two visits to
Europe in 1932 and 1936. In several of his books, he has illustrated poetry
by Mirza Ghalib. His line-and-wash technique particularly favoured poetic
thought. He sought refuge in poetry because it was part of
his people's life and culture.
Today, a Chugtai original is coveted treasure, found either in private
collections or housed securely in museums. Very rarely does it surface in
the buyers' market.