Painter of the East: Abdul Rahman Chughtai's death anniversary today
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His admirers include Allama Iqbal, Pablo Picasso and Queen Elizabeth II
LAHORE (Web Desk) - The 49th death anniversary of renowned painter Abdul Rahman Chughtai is being observed today (Wednesday).
He was born in Lahore on Sept 21, 1897.
Chughtai got his formal education from Mayo School of Art (now the National College of Arts), Lahore. He also learnt art from London.
He is known as ‘Musawwir-e-Mashriq’ (Painter of the East) due to his reverence in both Pakistan and India.
He was also given the title of Khan Bahadur by the British Empire in India in 1934.
He is considered as the founder of ‘Chughtai Art’ in the field of painting. He is still regarded as one of the best artists of the sub-continent.
Chughtai's admirers also include Allama Iqbal, Pablo Picasso and Queen Elizabeth II.
He was decorated with the Pride of Performance Award in 1958 and Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 1960 in recognition of his meritorious work.
Abdul Rahman Chughtai is known for his unique and distinctive painting style influenced by the Mughal art, miniature painting and Islamic art.
Chughtai not only designed one of the first four postage stamps of Pakistan, but also designed the monograms of Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television, which are still living monuments of his art.
He was also a good fiction writer and his collections ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Kajal’ were also published.
Chughtai’s works are scattered all over the world including British Museum, United Nations’ Headquarters, Nizam of Hyderabad Palace, President House Islamabad and National Art Gallery.
The legendary painter passed away on January 17, 1975 in Lahore.
