IQBAL HUSSAIN: THE COMPASSIONATE OBSERVER

Text: Marjorie Husain
Photography: Ejaz Gallery

A recent exhibition at the Ejaz Gallery, Lahore, showcased the work of Iqbal Hussain and launched a book on the artist titled: The Painter of Imprisoned Souls. The display of over seventy works of art included watercolours and prints, but the majority of paintings were rendered in the classic media of oil on canvas. Iqbal Hussain is one of Pakistan’s best known artists; his work has been documented on foreign TV Channels and shown in numerous countries throughout the world. He is an artist who dares to paint the life around him, fearlessly throwing open the doors and windows to the cloistered world of the Heera Mundi, an area of Lahore that lies adjacent to the magnificent Badshahi Mosque built by Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mogul Emperors.

Born in Lahore at Fort road in1950, Iqbal Hussain grew up in the legacy of despair that comprises the `red light’ district of the city. As one of the few educated members of his community he is constantly called upon to solve the various problems of the neighborhood, and he is committed to helping the community whom he will never leave. An astute, quiet man, he is a sensitive observer whose powerful work forces the viewer to recognize the unburnished viewpoint of a compassionate insider.