With seven solo and over 100 group exhibitions to his credit, 52-year-old Ghalib Baqar happens to be one of the finest water colour artists of Pakistan. His first solo exhibition was held in 1983 at the B.M Gallery and was inaugurated by noted scientist, intellectual and painter, Dr Salimuzaman Siddiqui.

In 1991, he had another solo exhibition at the Indus Art Gallery managed by Pakistan’s leading artist Ali Imam. Baqar has also over 20 years of teaching experience at the Balochistan Art Council, Karachi Grammar School and the Visual Studies Department of the University of Karachi. He had bagged first prize at Biennial International Competition of SAARC countries in 1988.

Born in Karachi on April 14, 1956, Baqar is the youngest son of eminent Urdu critic and former head of the University of Balochistan Urdu Department, Prof. Mujtaba Husain. He earned his diploma in fine arts in 1975 from the Karachi School of Art and was the institute’s youngest diploma holder at the time. His father, Prof. Husain, migrated to Quetta in the early 1970s, when Balochistan University was established with eminent scholar and educationist, Prof. Karrar Hussain as its first vice chancellor.

Baqar also shifted to the provincial capital of Balochistan and joined the Balochistan Art Council as a teacher in 1978. However, he returned to Karachi in 1981. He has a passion to paint and usually paints during the night.

“I was always fascinated by water colour and painted thousands of seascapes and landscapes at Karachi Harbour, Manora, Keamari, Malir, Ziarat, Kalam, Kaghan, Murree, Swat and other places,” he told The News.

He was taught the art of painting by Mansoor Ahmed Rahi and Abdul Hafeez Khan and amongst masters; he was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso, Salvador Dali and J.M. W. Turner.

“Turner’s paintings in particular inspired me a lot, especially his drawing,” he said. “Herb Olsen, a great water colour artist also inspired me a lot and I improved a lot after going through his works.”

“Among Orientalists, I was inspired by great artists Sadequain and Chugtai, but my paintings have not been influenced by them,” he said. During 1991-2001 Baqar taught fine arts at Karachi Grammar School and later joined the Visual Studies Department of the University of Karachi. He also taught at the Central School of Arts and Crafts at Karachi Art Council.

“Today there are about 60 art galleries in Karachi and quality of art has also improved but we are not creating great masters like Sadequain and Chugtai. The new breeds of artists don’t concentrate on their work. They don’t have the flame,” he lamented.

Baqar said that people in Karachi today are buying lots of paintings, including paintings by young artists and it’s a positive sign. “Chowkundi, run by its curator Zohra Husain has made a significant contribution in promotion of art in Karachi,” he said. “Bashir Mirza’s BM Gallery and Indus Art Gallery also played a vital role in promotion of art in the city,” he said. “No doubt Bashir Mirza and Ali Imam were the pioneers,” he said.

He showed satisfaction at the pace of art in the city. “Thousands of students are enrolling themselves in art schools.

In yesteryear there was only Karachi School of Art and Central Institute of Arts and Crafts where art was being taught. Today we have Indus Valley of Art and Architecture and the Visual Studies Department of the University of Karachi where one can acquire education in art and even students from elite classes are taking keen interest in art,” he said.

However, he regretted that the era of military dictator Gen. Ziaul Haq was a bad omen for art and culture in the country, including Karachi. “It generated fear, anxiety and violence and promoted drug and jihadi culture and terrorism, previously unknown in the city. Art was also affected by regression of that period,” he said.

“During the despotic rule of Gen. Zia art was ignored and only calligraphy was promoted,” he said. “And we as citizens are still suffering from the follies of promoting jihadi culture by the rulers,” he said. “We don’t know till what time we will continue to suffer,” he said.

“As far as my contribution to water colour is concerned, I can say with a sense of pride that I introduced subjects such as rain, mist, fog and night in my paintings in Pakistan,” he said. “I have also painted verses of great Urdu poets such as Mir, Ghalib, Yagana, Anis, Dabeer and Josh,” he said.

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