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Lot Essay
A leading proponent of European Academic Classicism in South Asia, Allah Bux was a master painter whose depictions of scenes from Hindu mythology, Punjabi village life and folklore were inspired by colonial styles and tastes that were introduced in the subcontinent in the Eighteenth Century.
Borrowing the romanticism of these compositions as well as their medium of oil, he built his reputation by creating beautiful images heavily influenced by local and folk cultural heritage. Bux soon developed a wide circle of admirers and was bestowed the title of 'Ustad' or master in recognition of his abilities and achievements as an artist.
Born in 1895 in Wazirabad, a small town in Punjab, Bux started as an apprentice to a sign painter and then moved on to painting theater sets in Calcutta and Bombay. Moving to Lahore in 1919, he rapidly gained recognition and was asked to join several prestigious courts including those of the Maharajas of Bansara and later Patiala. After the Partition, he remained in Lahore and persisted in depicting scenes from Pakistani life and mythology with great popularity and success, making his oeuvre a fascinating testimony of a national visual culture in the making.
"Bux explored a variety of subjects during his early years as a painter. Before Partition, he was well-known for his representations of Krishna, though he also engaged in landscape and portrait painting. He was as versatile with media as with subject matter, and some of his mixtures of media were quite innovative. His painting was realistic with a romantic edge, inspired by the Indo-Western style practiced in Bombay and the European paintings in the Royal Patiala collection." (M. Sirhandi, Contemporary Painting in Pakistan, Lahore, 1992, p. 27)
Lot 409, Untitled (Landscape) is an outstanding illustration of Bux’s ability to capture the sentimental and idyllic nature of Punjabi village life. Focusing on the regional history of his homeland of Punjab, he painted several landscapes with scenes derived from village festivities and folk tales. In this composition, Bux portrays a family walking towards a river, enjoying the last rays of the sun. A peasant leads the joyful group, including his child and wife, carrying a water pot on her head.
In lot 410, Untitled (Krishna in Contemplation), the artist creates a sensuous scene depicting a young and melancholic Krishna, seated on a rock in the heart of a dense forest. The close attention to the rendering of Krishna’s layered, embroidered clothing and gold jewelry, as well as the exquisite representation of his attributes is typical of the artist's style. Bux took distinctive pleasure in depicting the delicacy of dupattas or scarves, and here his virtuosic technique is evident in the evocative transparency and lightness of the fabric revealing the sensuous lines of Krishna’s body. Exalting the artist’s command of the lyrical line, this romantic painting is a masterpiece in Bux’s oeuvre.
Borrowing the romanticism of these compositions as well as their medium of oil, he built his reputation by creating beautiful images heavily influenced by local and folk cultural heritage. Bux soon developed a wide circle of admirers and was bestowed the title of 'Ustad' or master in recognition of his abilities and achievements as an artist.
Born in 1895 in Wazirabad, a small town in Punjab, Bux started as an apprentice to a sign painter and then moved on to painting theater sets in Calcutta and Bombay. Moving to Lahore in 1919, he rapidly gained recognition and was asked to join several prestigious courts including those of the Maharajas of Bansara and later Patiala. After the Partition, he remained in Lahore and persisted in depicting scenes from Pakistani life and mythology with great popularity and success, making his oeuvre a fascinating testimony of a national visual culture in the making.
"Bux explored a variety of subjects during his early years as a painter. Before Partition, he was well-known for his representations of Krishna, though he also engaged in landscape and portrait painting. He was as versatile with media as with subject matter, and some of his mixtures of media were quite innovative. His painting was realistic with a romantic edge, inspired by the Indo-Western style practiced in Bombay and the European paintings in the Royal Patiala collection." (M. Sirhandi, Contemporary Painting in Pakistan, Lahore, 1992, p. 27)
Lot 409, Untitled (Landscape) is an outstanding illustration of Bux’s ability to capture the sentimental and idyllic nature of Punjabi village life. Focusing on the regional history of his homeland of Punjab, he painted several landscapes with scenes derived from village festivities and folk tales. In this composition, Bux portrays a family walking towards a river, enjoying the last rays of the sun. A peasant leads the joyful group, including his child and wife, carrying a water pot on her head.
In lot 410, Untitled (Krishna in Contemplation), the artist creates a sensuous scene depicting a young and melancholic Krishna, seated on a rock in the heart of a dense forest. The close attention to the rendering of Krishna’s layered, embroidered clothing and gold jewelry, as well as the exquisite representation of his attributes is typical of the artist's style. Bux took distinctive pleasure in depicting the delicacy of dupattas or scarves, and here his virtuosic technique is evident in the evocative transparency and lightness of the fabric revealing the sensuous lines of Krishna’s body. Exalting the artist’s command of the lyrical line, this romantic painting is a masterpiece in Bux’s oeuvre.