The last portrait artist

By Kuldip Dhiman

RIGHT in the heart of Chandigarh, and yet far, far away from it, well-known artist Mehar Singh has created a world of his own. In his little sequestered studio, he has the wonderful company of his own subjects — some real some imaginary. As he gazes at the blank canvas on his custom-made easel, his subjects begin to appear. At times it is a saint; at others a general from history.

Although Mehar Singh’s work has been honoured by the All-India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, and the Punjab Lalit Kala Academy, he deserves a lot more. There are not many who can match him in the difficult art of portraiture. And Mehar Singh is perhaps the only artist in this region who has dedicated his entire life to revive the dying art of portraiture.

Even after six long decades, Mehar Singh is very active in his studio. He works all day and when he goes to bed at night, he hardly has any haunting dreams. And when he dreams, it is usually about Lahore, the city of his childhood, where he was born on October, 1, 1929. The memories are about a young boy desperate to become a successful artist; his search for a guru; his long struggle with the realities of life.

Mehar Singh was fortunate to be born into a house of craftsmen. His father had a wood workshop, and his uncles were teachers at the New School of Art, Gole Market, Lahore. Mehar Singh learnt art, so to speak, at his mother’s knee.

"My mother used to tell people: ‘Mehar has been blackening the walls of our house ever since he learnt to walk.’ The atmosphere was just right for artistic talent to blossom. My parents and uncles really encouraged me a lot, but I soon realised that without a guru I would not make much progress. I joined the New School of Art at Lahore, learnt a few things from there, and left. Then a friend of my father suggested that I approach Sobha Singh. I was naturally a big nervous. Such a great artist; will he accept me as his disciple, I wondered."

The fact is Sobha Singh did take Mehar Singh under his wing, and the association lasted until the master’s death.

"For the first six months he didn’t show much interest in me or my work. Perhaps, he was testing me. Once he was sure of my dedication to art, he began to teach me in real earnest. In those days, I was a student of DAV College, Lahore. Ustaad ji, that is Sobha Singh ji, asked me to take up either higher education or art. I wanted to take up painting full time, but my father, although not against my learning painting, did not want me to give up regular college. To please both my father and my guru I enrolled myself in an evening college. Thus I had the whole morning and afternoon at my disposal to learn art. This was a very convenient solution."

But then no one knew about the impending Partition and the genocide that ensued. Yet,the Partition came and devastated millions of lives on both sides of the border.

"Luckily, Ustaad ji had shifted his studio to Andretta, now in Himachal Pradesh, before Partition. When the riots broke out, my father and other well-wishers advised me to leave Lahore immediately. The rest of the family stayed back, thinking that the frenzy that had gripped the people would soon come to an end."

Alas, that did not happen and Mehar Singh at 18, found himself alone and homeless. Fortunately, his parents managed to flee at the right time. After going through a long period of struggle, they chose to settle down in Puran Pur, Uttar Pradesh. Mehar Singh joined them in due course, but soon took leave of them in order to be with his guru at Andretta. When he finished learning the nuts and bolts of painting from the great artist, it was time for Mehar Singh to start something on his own. This was the beginning of a very long period of struggle.

"During this phase I was flat broke. I did not even have clean clothes to wear. When my mother saw me in that condition she hugged me and began to cry," Mehar Singh’s eyes glisten as he recalls those hard times. "But I was determined. I went over to Delhi, and began to work with one Brijbhushan, a close friend of mine. I also did a lot of calendar work for the Mehta Art Press. I made many paintings for them ... Ram Durbar, Hanuman... and other mythological figures."

Mehar Singh joined the American Embassy, New Delhi, in 1958. During his 13-year tenure there he made many portraits and busts of past American Presidents. Mehar Singh’s portrait of the then President Richard Nixon was hugely popular. Nixon was so happy with the work that he sent a signed letter of commendation of Mehar Singh.

"About this time a friend of mine severely criticised my work. His caustic remarks were so painful that I gave up painting for a very long time. But as fate would have it, one day I me Dr M.S. Randhawa. He had known me for quite some time. When he learnt that I had given up painting, he severely reprimanded me first and then in his inimitable style encouraged me with reassuring words. He was a true patron of art, I must admit. And thanks to him, I was once again in front of my easel."

Thus began a new phase in Mehar Singh’s career. A phase that added maturity and depth to his work. Just then a competition was announced to make a portrait of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

"I decided to have a go at it. I went through all the historical material available on Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and in the end came up with a portrait that won the first prize of Rs 5000. Ustaad ji was so happy with me that he gave me Rs 500 from his own pocket. I was deeply touched by his gesture."

As he moved from strength to strength, Mehar Singh made portraits of many luminaries: artists, poets, writers, politicians. His portraits are not mere photographic images of the personalities that he depicts. He tries to portray the character of his subject.

"As far as possible I like to spend a couple of days talking to my subjects. I study their mannerisms and other traits. Of course there are times when I have to work from a photograph."

Although Mehar Singh was taught by Sobha Singh, various other influences are evident on his work.

"Apart from Ustaad ji, the major influences in my life have been the Renaissance masters like Rembrandt, the Raphael. I have also been greatly inspired by some American artists such as Andrew Loomis, Howard Pyle and Norman Rockwell. In fact I was furtunate enough to meet Rockwell and talk to him when he was in India to paint a portrait of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Rockwell had a great sense of humour. He was a bit anxious and nervous one day. When I asked him what the matter was, he said, "Wish me good luck, dear friend, the next person I have been commissioned to portray is Kruschev!".

Now we come to the third phase of his Mehar Singh’s career. He was assigned to make a painting of Guru Gobind Singh by one S.S. Anand. This particular work was very well appreciated. It generated a lot of interesting work for Mehar Singh.

"Later Principal Satbir Singh of Panjab University met me and suggested that I make a painting of Banda Bahadur. It is a very challenging subject, he warned me. I took up the challenge and soon found myself getting more and more interested in making paintings about the Guru Sahibaans. Balbir Singh of Sahitya Kendra, Dehradun, Bank of Punjab, Punjab and Sind Bank and the SGPC, Amritsar, commissioned me to make paintings depicting various aspects of Sikh history of religion. At the moment this is my favourite theme, and it really gives me great creative satisfaction."

Talking about contemporary art, Mehar Singh says that he has nothing against the modern trends in painting.

"To tell the truth, I have consciously tried to study it, but without much success. I begin to appreciate a work only when the artist explains what he has tried to convey, otherwise I usually draw a blank. In some works I can appreciate the composition, the colours, the symbolism. But I think some artists are trying to pass worthless stuff in the name of modern art."

The art of portraiture is dying. Would it not be a good idea to train some able disciples?

"Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to train anybody. It is usually very difficult to find a good guru. I, on the other hand, am finding it very difficult to find a good disciple! There are many young people who come to me to learn. They show great enthusiasm in the beginning, but soon realise that there are no shortcuts in this line. They come with an intention of making a fast buck. When they realise that I have no magic formula to turn them into great artists overnight, they leave. I am ready to teach anyone who is really interested in art. I don’t expect any money for my services. All I want is total dedication to art. I wonder if I will ever find such a disciple."

Does art have any effect on our existence? Would our world be any different without art?

"Without art we would be savages or robots. The main purpose of art, in my opinion, is to show the right way to lead life, to spread happiness".

Now in his late sixties, Mehar Singh has no regrets. He feels he has got more from life than he had expected.

"I have never had very high aims in life. I am a simple man, and I am very happy with my lot. I have a wonderful wife who loves me, children and grandchildren who adore me. Although I have won some awards, and I can claim to be fairly recognised, what matters most to me is the love and affection that I get from my friends and admirers. I believe that God is the real creator. Why should I take credit for re-creating something? And for how long are people going to remember me? Fifty years, 100 at the most after my death. So, why should I hanker after name and fame?"