Prof. Anne Marie Schimmel writes of Guljee, “… he is the artist whose pictures made of lapis lazuli have introduced a new medium - difficult to handle - into modern art; he is the calligrapher who is capable of writing in the most perfect classical style….”
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I remembered Gulgee visiting our house in London, several years ago when my father, Qutubuddin Aziz, was stationed at the Embassy of Pakistan, London. He so graciously presented my parents with a beautiful abstract painting. I can still recollect my mother’s delight at being the owner of a Guljee masterpiece. Consequently, filled with a sense of great honor and privilege, I sat down to interview the artist par excellence - Gulgee.
Guljee is, no doubt, Pakistan’s most celebrated artist. He has contributed immeasurably to the world of contemporary art in the Third World. There is incredible color in his abstracts and great skill in his portraits. His personality is so exuberant; his presence so peaceful and his passion for art so obvious. This warmth and peacefulness is reflected in all his work.
With his vivacious wife Zaro at his side, we sat down to talk.
Anila: Guljee, tell us about your family and your artistic beginnings.
Guljee: I come from a family of three brothers and three sisters. Up to the age of 10, we were very well off financially. My father, who was a Puna Graduate, was working as an executive engineer in Gilgit. He had the gift of oratory and that posed a threat to the then British Viceroy. He not only made him redundant but also saw to it that he didn’t find a job for several years. We went through difficult times; I had to go through home schooling but I knew my passion - painting. However, to get a scholarship from a good institution, I had to do engineering. I excelled in engineering, won a scholarship to USA and ended up doing my Masters at Columbia. Later, I was in Canada as an engineer. To earn extra money, I painted in Canada. I got noticed and there were many write-ups in Canadian newspapers about my work. I had a great career in engineering but abandoned it for the love of art. The first portrait I did was of a son of an Indian diplomat. After months of hard work, he paid me a mere Rs.252. That was my love for art. It wasn’t about money but today I would do anything to get it back from them.
Anila: How did you gain recognition in Pakistan and abroad?
Guljee: About the time Pakistan came into being, time of Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Bogra, many artists got together and auctioned their art to build an art gallery for Pakistan. My work got the highest recognition and distinction. In June 1999, at a Sotheby’s auction of works of living artists, my art fetched the highest price. That was a great honor.
Anila: Who inspires you?
Guljee: God. I have done all kinds of styles of paintings but that is only a part of the training. In the beginning, my sketches were highly classical, very meticulous. Then I threw all that away and just drew like the wind…the way it came to me.
Anila: Your son Amin has followed in your footsteps…. what do you think of his designs?
At this point Zaro responded eagerly: Amin is not just a jewelry designer. He is a sculptor who has received worldwide appreciation for his work. He has given a new life to Islamic sculptors with his Iqra, Alhamdolillah and Allah.
Zaro proudly displayed some of the jewelry designs that Amin has especially made for her.
Anila: So Zaro, would you say Guljee inspired him?
Zaro: He was most certainly inspired by his father but the atmosphere in the house was such that it was not very easy to stop him from pursuing art. I tried to, but it didn’t work. I didn’t want to live with two artists!
Anila: You’ve done many commissioned portraits. Any special ones you can remember?
Guljee: Whenever a foreign dignitary visits our country or our leaders visit other nations, they take me as part of their entourage.
I was invited to India by Rajiv Gandhi - I found him to be one of the nicest people I have met. He was a man of peace and it is a shame he is no more. Then when George Bush Senior came to visit Pakistan I did a series of drawings of him. One unforgettable one is of him being showered with hundreds of roses by dozens of wonderfully clad Pakistani women. He looks as if he will rise up to Heaven in elation.
Anila: Is there any special reason why you use bright colors?
Guljee: Sure I do. I am not afraid of colors, bright colors or pale colors. Why do I use bright colors? Why does one fall in love?
(Well, there isn’t a right answer to that question)
Anila: Is it easy to penetrate the Western Art Scene?
Guljee: No. Art takes years of exhaustive practice. The West has built a wall around their art world and their philosophies. Nothing of the Third World gets through. They show old Islamic Art because now it is dead, but don’t let the contemporary Islamic artists get the opportunity and respect they deserve. As far as our Muslim World is concerned, with all the resources at their disposal, it’s a shame that not a single center to display Muslim art has been established.
Anila: I couldn’t agree more with Guljee on this statement.
Guljee: “ I live only when I paint. The rest is but a wait, a preparation mixed with prayer for crossing the threshold from life into the experience of life.”