Abdur Rahman Chughtai

Abdur Rahman Chughtai was a Pakistani painter and artist who created his own unique, distinctive painting style influenced by Mughal art, miniature painting, Art Nouveau and Islamic art traditions. He is considered to be 'the first significant modern Muslim artist from Pakistan', and the national artist of Pakistan. He was given the title of Khan Bahadur by the British Empire in British India in 1934, awarded Pakistan's Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) Award in 1960, and the Pride of Performance Award in 1958 by the President of Pakistan. He was born on 21 September 1897 in Lahore, now in Pakistan. He belonged to a family of musicians and learned music from his father and uncle, who were also renowned singers. He started his career by singing the compositions of his father and uncle, but later developed his own style of painting, which came to be known as the Chughtai style. He was known for his mastery of various genres of classical art, such as khayal, thumri, dadra, and ghazal. He painted in various languages, such as Urdu, Punjabi, Persian, and Braj Bhasha. He composed many paintings under the pen name of Noor Jehan. He exhibited in various countries, including India, Pakistan, UK, US, and Germany, where he was highly acclaimed and respected. He also wrote short stories, and articles on art. He designed stamps, coins, insignia and book covers. He was also an avid collector of miniatures and other art. He published three books of his own work: the Muraqqai-i-Chughtai (1927), Naqsh-i-Chughtai (c. 1935) and Chughtai's Paintings (1940). He died of old age in Lahore on 17 January 1975. He is regarded as one of the finest painters and artists of his generation.