Work and Influences
Akhlaq's painting invoked a dialogue between modernist abstraction and many 'traditional' forms and practices found within South Asia (including Mughal Miniature painting, calligraphy, vernacular architecture to name but a few). At a time when his contemporaries in South Asia were developing their work within a modernist tradition, or had primitivist leanings, he eschewed both schools by merging his interest in abstractions with traditional and vernacular practices. Although he famously evaded the label of an abstract artist, his work mostly fits this definition
Akhlaq's influences are from a vast range of sources, which include painting, literature, philosophy, Sufism, dance, and music. His teaching and practice is considered to have had a significant impact on a generation of Contemporary Pakistani art and artists.
Read more about this topic: Zahoor Ul Akhlaq
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