Shakir Ali ( Urdu: شاکر على (1975–1916) was an influential modern Pakistani

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

and an art teacher. He was the principal of the National College of Arts in Lahore. He first joined ''Mayo School of Art'' as a lecturer in Art in 1954 and after changing the name of Mayo School to ''National College of Arts'' in 1958, he became its first Pakistani principal in 1962. Widely known to have inspired

cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

among the artists of Lahore, he had a huge following of artists in Pakistan, most of whom were his students including Muhammad Ahmad Khan,

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and others.100th birthday: Painter Shakir Ali remembered – The Express Tribune (newspaper)
Published 2 October 2016, Retrieved 16 July 2019

Career

Shakir Ali influenced the Pakistani modernist artists for two decades, both with his work and his disposition. He held a position of privilege among his generation of painters. He had firsthand experience of Modern Art in Paris. After studying art at the ''

J.J. School of Art The Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art (Sir J. J. School of Art) is the oldest art institution in Mumbai, India, and is affiliated with the University of Mumbai. The school grants bachelor's degrees in fine art and sculpture, and Master's de ...

'' in Mumbai, he attended Slade School of Fine Art in London, then worked in Paris with Andre L’Hote before he left for Prague to further study art. Shakir Ali began with a cubist preference and many of his themes borrowed from classical European myths like ‘Europa and the Bull’ and ‘Leda and the Swan’. As his style evolved, he pared down the human form to sharp angles and took up red as a dominant colour. Many of his paintings feature birds, which he looked upon as the symbol of personal freedom in a world of conventions. He did some pioneering work in Arabic calligraphy in the 60s, in which the alphabetic form is used as a linear design using colour and visual rhythm to lend it a modern interpretation. Shakir Ali was amongst the first artists to practice painterly calligraphy. He served as Principal of the National College of Art, Lahore from 1961-73.Shakir Ali - The maestro
The Nation (newspaper), Published 12 July 2017, Retrieved 1 March 2019 Shakir Ali was of the view that an artist belongs to the entire world that cannot be confined to any national boundaries. He was born in British India in 1916 and later chose to live majority of his life in Lahore, Pakistan as an art educator.

Commemorative postage stamp

On August 14, 2006,

Pakistan Post Pakistan Post ( ur, ) is a state enterprise which functions as Pakistan's primary and largest postal operator. 49,502 employees through a vehicle fleet of 5,000 operate traditional "to the door" service from more than 13,419 post offices acro ...

issued a Rs. 40 sheetlet of stamps to posthumously honour 10 Pakistani painters. Besides Shakir Ali, the other nine painters were: Laila Shahzada,

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Ali Imam Ali Imam (31 December 1950 – 21 November 2022) was a Bangladeshi children's writer and audio-visual organizer. He wrote many scientific stories, travel stories for children. He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2001 in juvenile lit ...

Zahoor ul Akhlaq Zahoor ul Akhlaq (4 February 1941 – 18 January 1999) was a pioneering artist from Pakistan. He is known for his approach to painting, sculpture, design and architecture, as well as his teaching at the NCA (National College of Arts) in Laho ...

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and

.Posthumous Tribute to Ten Great Painters of Pakistan by Pakistan Post Office
pakpost.gov.pk website (archived copy), Published 25 August 2006, Retrieved 16 July 2019

Awards, recognition and legacy

* Pride of Performance Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Quddus Mirza Quddus Mirza is a Pakistani art critic, artist, and art educator based in Lahore. As an art critic, his writings have been published in national and international newspapers and magazines.(Fareeha QayoomProfile of Quddus Mirza on TKFR Art we ...

were among the speakers. In summary, it was said that Shakir Ali added a flavor of modernity in the development of Pakistani art for later decades. * In 1975, Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) inaugurated the

Shakir Ali Museum Shakir Ali (Urdu: شاکر على (1975–1916) was an influential modern Pakistani artist and an art teacher. He was the principal of the National College of Arts in Lahore. He first joined ''Mayo School of Art'' as a lecturer in Art in 1954 ...

in Lahore in his memory. All the personal belongings of Shakir Ali and his paintings and drawings are also showcased in a gallery there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Shakir Pakistani educators 1916 births 1975 deaths Muhajir people Artists from Lahore 20th-century Pakistani painters Principals of the National College of Arts Muslim artists National College of Arts faculty Recipients of the Pride of Performance People from Lahore