Ismail Gulgee being realistic and abstract in nature acquired totally a different meaning and entirely new sensitivity to the painting world. On his canvas the dynamic forces of creation and expression unite and energise a new being. At first he did all kinds of style of paintings. In the beginning his sketches were highly classical and very meticulous but after some time he drew when it came to him like a breeze.
Gulgee makes his presence felt in the art scene of the country as well as abroad. He proved his artistry in many mediums of arts. He became popular among the dignitaries who liked to be painted by him. Along with portrait drawing he uses his creativity to carve precious stones, which was given the name 'Lapis Lazuli'. His Lapis Lazuli's composition shows his skill and command over the medium. Then in 1960s there came a big change in his painting style, he began to do action painting. Just like Jackson Pollack, the master in action painting, Gulgee used bright colours beautifully in his creations. He also introduces new techniques and made salient changes in his painting style that makes him prominent among the contemporary painters.
Gulgee's creative artwork is a fuse between two cultures that is Islamic calligraphy and abstract expressionism, his brush strokes blends both modes in such a way that the painting becomes a masterpiece. He has all competence and creative innovation that makes a sculptor from a mere stone and gives colours to a canvas. Although he was an engineer his passion was art and only art. He drew portraits of many internationally famous personalities, which is considered as the classic example of the world's portraits.
The scattered colours on his canvas speak for themselves and make the viewer not only speechless but also give an impression of existence. It is because of his strong strokes of abstract expressionism that gives life to the canvas. And these unique qualities made him one of the best artists of the world. He is among the top artist of mural painting.
It was in 1973 that he began using calligraphy in his paintings. In that year, he was commissioned to paint a mural for the King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh on the subject of Muslim unity. After doing this, he produced another calligraphic painting on the same subject for the Islamic Summit that was held at Lahore in 1974.
It is full of multicoloured dots and daubs of colour, in which even gold and silver have been used. Against this background has been calligraphed a famous verse of the Holy Quran exhorting the Muslims "to hold fast to the rope of God and not to disunite". These words sweep in an arc from the bottom right to the top left corner. The style of writing is roughly in the Naskh script rather freely rendered.
To many of his calligraphy paintings Gulgee adds gold and silver paint, reminiscent of the use of these precious materials in old manuscripts. He was also known for using materials such as mirror glass along with gold or silver leaf in his oil paintings, so that they were in fact mixed media pieces.
Born in 1926, the internationally famous artist Gulgee received his BSC Honors degree from Aligarh University in 1945. He did M.S. in Hydraulics in 1947. He also studied in Harvard University. Although he was an engineer by profession he do not lose his interest in painting and his first exhibition of paintings took place in Sweden in 1950.During his stay at Stockholm he displayed his creative skills through several solo and group exhibition. Ignoring his engineering career he took keen interest in the art of painting. During the 50s he was commissioned to paint the portraits of the entire Afghan royal family.
In 1970 he was awarded the 'Pride of Performance' by the government of Pakistan. In 1982 he was also honoured by 'Sitar-e-Imtiaz' and he again received the same award in 1988 for Monumental sculptural work done in Shah Faisal Mosque, Islamabad. Other than these he achieved a number of other national and international awards, including Japan Foundation Award in 1979. In 1999 at a Sotheby's auction of works of living artists his art fetched the highest price. That was a great honour.
Late Gulgee made valuable contribution in the field of art and earned international stature, adding to the image of the country. The art lovers would long remember his innovative creations both at home and abroad. The legendary artist met a mysterious death at the age of 81 on 19th December 2007 that shocked the whole nation. The tragedy resulted in a deep loss to the country's art world.
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