PUNJABI ARTS

Arts & Crafts The crafts in the Punjab are of two types: the crafts produced in the rural areas and the royal crafts which flourished in the urban centers particularly in Lahore. The former include cotton textiles, basketry, embroidery etc. while the latter are tile and woodwork skills, ivory, silver and gold work, naqqashi and architectural crafts. Hand knotted carpets of fine quality are made in Punjab since the Mughal period. Emperor Akbar in the 15th century established the first factory in Lahore. While carpets were made for the rich, rough rugs (known as namdas) were made by the common people for their own use. Lahore is the center of hand-made carpets. Since ancient times the weavers of the region have produced colourful fabrics of silk and cotton. The hand-woven cotton cloth like khaddar of Kamalia, are popular. The cloth woven on handlooms is either block printed or beautifully embroidered. Multan is famous for beautiful hand-woven bed covers. The potter at his wheel is a common sight in every village, uninfluenced by modern glamour. Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi and Gujrat also produce colourful pottery, painted after firing. The blue glazed pottery of Multan dates back to the 13th century with obvious traces of Persian influence. Chiniot, Gujrat and Lahore are famous for woodwork. Chiniot is known for woodcarving and furniture, brass and iron inlay. Copper and brass work is done within the walled city of Lahore since ages. In fine arts, the local Muslim traditions of Punjab were greatly influenced by the works of Central Asian and Persian artists of the early Mughal period. Persian miniatures are the models of some of the well-known artists like Abdur Rehman Chaughtai, with a style of his own, and Haji Muhammad Sharif.Among the modern artists, Ustad Allah Bakhsh, Khalid Iqbal, Ijazul Hasan and Shakir Ali stand on the top.In calligraphy, a great heritage of Muslim art, Agha Mirza Imam of Lahore gave new dimensions to this art and was followed by equally renowned Sufi Abdul Majid (Perveen Raqqm) and Abdul Walid (Nadir Qalam) who changed the round form of letters to elegant ovals. In the Graphic Arts, representational paintings and landscapes continue to be produced side by side with more complex modern trends. The main art centers in the province are Al-Hamra, the National College of Arts, Fine Arts Department of the Punjab University and the Lahore Art Gallery.