South Asian Modernism: An Alternate Discourse to Western Art
By: Fatema Taher
Tags: Art History, Muslim Art, Southeast Asia, Eurocentrism, Pakistani Artistes

The South Asian modernist movement was defined by a variety of artists and their unique styles. Ranging from the first Muslim modernist painter Chugtai, who employed his own stylistic character in his Mughal illustrations, to the colorful abstractions of Zubeida Agha, each artist reworked tradition in their own stylistic individuation (Dadi, 2010). Despite thematic differences, the formal and technical aspects of Eastern and Western modernism do overlap to a certain extent. These similarities and and differences can be better understood by drawing comparisons between South Asian artworks and Western paintings of the modernist era.

Zainul Abedin and Paul Gauguin

Zainul Abedin (left) and Paul Gauguin (right)

Santhal Couples, Zainul Abedin 1968

One of the Muslim modernist artists was Zainul Abedin (29 December 1914–28 May 1978). Regarded as the founding figure of modern Bengali art, his work between 1940–1970 depicted the events of Bengal, by providing a “realist” narrative of her local people. This is seen in Abedin’s (as well as other Bengali artists’) fascination with rural themes, especially, the Santhal tribes of Bengal, “whose innate aesthetic sense remained intact despite years of colonialism.” One such work is the oil painting Santhal Maidens (1950).

Santhal Maidens, Zainul Abedin 1950

Drawing upon the formal language of artists such as Matisse, Abedin composed his maidens in a linear arrangement of rhythmic repetition along the length of the canvas. The flow is also emphasized by the twisting postures of the maidens. The curved and organic form of the women is strongly defined by their contoured brown limbs (Dadi, 2010).

What? Are You Jealous? Paul Gauguin 1892

The Santhal Maidens can be compared to the Tahitian painting called What? Are You Jealous (1892) by post impressionist/symbolic painter Paul Gauguin. That is because both artists display a fascination with native people of a certain land and tribe in their works. One can also find similarities in the formal elements. The placement of the foreshortened prostrated woman in close proximity to the sitting woman mirrors similar dynamism and eye movement found in Abedin’s composition. While the minutest details of the face and figure in both paintings are not rendered realistically, the strong lights and darks in the skin add depth to the supple curves, further defining the soft, feminine silhouette of the female bodies. Lastly, the flowers in the hair of Santhal Maidens and Tahitian women relate to each paintings’ backgrounds. While in the case of Abedin the connection is quite literal (foliage behind the women), in Gauguin’s painting the flowers relate to the natural and primitive setting imagined by him.

Beyond these formal qualities, one can find little to no concrete similarities between the thematic/social context of both works. Firstly, in Abedin’s painting the Santhal women are depicted as they exist. Gauguin, on the other hand, portrayed a utopian and erotic fantasy of the Tahitian land and her women. In his mind, Gauguin saw Tahiti as a primitive and exotic land untouched by urbanization, and roamed by overtly sexual women. While Tahiti proved to be nothing like his imaginings, he continued to painting nude women in mystical, pink hued settings, as depicted in What? Are You Jealous? (Thomson, 1987).

Tahitian Women, 1891 (An example of Gauguin’s style and Tahitian fantasy)

It is important to note that Abedin’s work also depicts a certain level of primitivism. However, while Gauguin’s primitive quality stems from the nudity and wilderness of the landscape, Abedin’s maidens portray an “ethnic primitivism”, marking his quest for a connection with his tradition (Dadi, 2010). Despite both being modernist works in their own right, the various disparities can be summed into one significant difference between Abedin and Gauguin’s work. While Abedin sought connection with his tradition through a cultural and ethnic heirloom (the Santhal tribe) amidst the colonial clutter, Gauguin yearned for escapism from the urbanized modern society (Thomson, 1087).

Zubeida Agha and Henri Matisse

Zubeida Agha (left) and Henri Matisse (right)

Metamorphosis, Zubeida Agha 1948 (oil on canvas)

Reclusive and private, Zubeida Agha (1922–1997) was another modern painter of Pakistan. Agha developed an abstract, ornamental, and painterly language, which defined her colorist abstract work. Through her use of recurring and architectonic (structural patterns) motifs and colors in her paintings, Agha introduced transnational modernism in Pakistan. That is because the abstraction in her work was linked to the global modern abstractionist movement of the time. These characteristics are reflected in one of her paintings, called Carnival (1978).

Carnival, Zubeida Agha 1978

Being a part of her latter works, it contrasts starkly from the color palette of her earlier paintings. The somber colors of her earlier works gave way to decorative motifs and dazzling colors. Hence, “Carnival” is composed of bright organic shapes and motifs set against a flattened backdrop (Dadi, 2010). This painting can be compared with the Fauvist painting La Danse (1910) by Henri Matisse.

La Danse, Henri Matisse 1910

It is important to note that Fauvism is characterized by the use of pure and vivid color. In both paintings the bold, expressive use of color make the hues an element existing on its own as a carrier of emotions and thought. Both Agha and Matisse explore the canvas surface through their flat application of color. This is found in Agha’s flat and precise motifs, and Matisse’s flat rendering of the figures and background. Despite the flat rendering, depth can be found in both paintings, be it through the orbital arrangement of the dancers, or the overlapping of shapes and motifs. When compared with Carnival, La Danse also employs a certain degree of abstraction, found in the simplification of its figures. One of the major differences between the two however, lie in the compositional arrangements of both paintings. The elliptical arrangement of the dancers allow the eye to move in smooth circles. The momentum remains unbroken, since each figure is physically connected to the other. Moreover, the twisting and turning bodies add greater energy and dynamism to the painting. On the other hand, Agha’s painting has no such rhythmic harmony or flow, because unlike Matisse’s dancers, her shapes and motifs appear as fractured pieces that created a disjointed subject. Hence, the formal elements in the painting (line, color) appear in opposition to one another, creating a sense of estrangement not only within the elements itself, but also between the painting and the viewer (Dadi, 2010).

While the thematic exploration in Matisse’s painting appears to be concerned with the development of Fauvism, Agha’s work implies a strong link to Islamic and spiritual traditions. This was established by her brother, who identified a connection between Carnival (as well as other later works), and Quranic interpretation. The use of vibrant colors in this painting conveyed Agha’s eventual, yet joyful acceptance of life. Hence, her works symbolized the wonderous acts of nature and God, such as its beauty and colors, and the rising and setting of Sun. Critics also believed Agha’s work to depict “Ayats” of Quran. Ayat in Islam refers to the manifest signs of God, such as the cycles of nature, i.e. birth and decay, day and night, which were laced in her motifs and colors. Hence, by visually representing the Quranic Ayat, Agha’s work forged a link with Islamic traditions, which was not based on conventional Mughal and Persian tropes. Rather, through her colorist abstraction and transnational modernism, Agha explored and inspired a deeper and more philosophical understanding of Islamic art traditions (Dadi, 2010).

Sadequain and Pablo Picasso

Sadequain (left) and Picasso (right)

Sunrise, Sadequain 1968 (oil on canvas)

One of the most prolific artists of this era was the modernist calligraphy painter, Sadequain (1930–1987). By incorporating Indo — Persian Sufism and poetry, Sadequain reworked these traditions into modernist calligraphic paintings. This depicted the strong connection he felt with his heritage and culture. Sadequain discovered another defining source of inspiration in 1957 when he encountered large, bushy cactus plants in Gadani (a small town near Karachi, Pakistan). Thus it were the long, thin branches and silhouettes of the plants after which Sadequain’s calligraphic forms and figures were modelled. One of these works that amalgamate both of these inspirations is a pen and ink drawing on paper called Self Portrait (1966).

Self Portrait, Sadequain 1966 (Pen and ink on paper)

The jagged, elongated, and contorted figure, which is based on the anatomy and structure of the cactus, has been translated into a calligraphic rendering. This is seen in the structure of Sadequain’s distorted fingers which spell the word Allah (Dadi, 2010). An interesting comparison can be drawn between this drawing and the Western cubist painting Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon (1907) by Pablo Picasso, whose work was a source of great inspiration for Sadequain.

Les Demoiselles d’ Avignon, Pablo Picasso 1907 (oil on canvas)

While both make use of exaggerated distortion, the forms in each work have a distinct character. While Sadequain’s style is based on the jagged form and qualities of the cactus, Picasso was influenced by African tribal masks and the late works of painter Paul Cezanne, resulting in the painterly flat planes of cubism (Greenberg, 1961). Apart from that, both works share a strong feel of depth. Despite Sadequain’s drawing being entirely linear, the one point perspective created as a result of severe foreshortening add depth and enable dynamic eye movement along the contour. Meanwhile, the depth in Picasso’s painting is ironically a result of the flat planes itself. Following the principles of cubism and Cezanne’s ideas , the 3 dimensional form of the women has been broken into flat planes in order to depict both sides and all angles of the figure (Greenberg, 1961). As a result, the strategic juxtaposition of light and dark planes create both depth and angular distortion. Despite being influenced by Picasso’s work, as well as other styles, Sadequain’s strong connection with Islamic South Asian poetry/culture, and his identity as a Pakistani and Muslim resulted in the development of a highly distinct style that grounded his work in Pakistan (Dadi, 2010).

By grounding work in tradition these artists attempted to reclaim and assert a unique and entirely Eastern art practice through Muslim modernism

The technical and stylistic similarities (abstractions, flatness in color application) found between Eastern and Western modernist paintings through the comparisons above confirm the presence of transnational modernism in Pakistan. However, the thematic ideas and drive give Southeast Asian modernism a separate identity. That is because each of the works discussed here make use of ethnic, Islamic, and cultural symbols in an attempt to rework and modernize Islamic Art. This form of modernism can be seen as a retaliation to the colonization of South Asian art practice in the guise of Company Style of paintings produced for the British. It seems by grounding work in tradition these artists attempted to reclaim and assert a unique and entirely Eastern art practice through Muslim modernism, in a post colonial state that still reeks the remnants of the British Raj.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Branfoot, Crispin. “Painting Processions: The Social and Religious Landscape of Southern India in a ‘Company’ Album.” SOAS, December 2007.

Dadi, Iftikhar. Modernism and the Art of Muslim South Asia. North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 2010.

Ettinghausen, Richard. “Reviewed Works(s): Indian Painting for the British. 1770–1880 by Mildred Archer and W.G. Archer.” Middle East Journal 11, no.3 (Summer 1957): 336.

Greenberg, Clement. Art Culture Critical Essays. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1961.

Thomson, Belinda. Gauguin. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1987.