Abdur Rahman Chughtai, was one of the prominent orientalists from
outside Bengal, who created his own unique, distinctive painting
style influenced by Mughal art, miniature painting, Art Nouveau
and Islamic art traditions. He is considered 'the first
significant modern Muslim artist from South Asia', and the
national artist of Pakistan. Early on in his career Chughtai did
a series of wash and tempera on paper, which exuded the visual
language of the Bengal School. The characters in the painting,
most often couples, were portrayed as if in a state of trance.
They were drawn gracefully, with a lyrical quality to every line.
The features of these characters bear a string resemblance to the
mural paintings at Ajanta, which were a strong influence on
Chughtai's artistic sensibilities. By the 1940s he had created
his own style, strongly influenced by Islamic art traditions, but
retaining a feel of Art Nouveau. His subject matter was drawn
from legends, folklore and history of the Indo-Islamic world, as
well as Punjab, Persia and the world of the Mughals.
