Lal Mohammad Pathan

Lal Mohammad Pathan was the director of Art Gallery and Tharparkar Museum, Mirpurkhas. He initiated Fine Arts activities in Mirpurkhas in 1956 and established an art gallery with the help of the District Administration of Mirpurkhas in 1973. He has participated in various group shows in Hyderabad, Karachi and Lahore. Canvas Gallery in Clifton, Karachi has twice exhibited his works of art. He was a versatile artist, equally creative with all themes and mediums; but his preference was oil and pallet-knife. For his portrayal of the desert life of Sindh and his meritorious service to the furtherance of art in the Province, the Government of Pakistan bestowed “Tamgha-e-Imtiaz” on Lai Mohammad Pathan at a special ceremony in March 2006.

(late) LAL MOHAMMAD PATHAN on Thari Women LAL MOHAMMAD PATHAN - T.I. (C)

Those who know the desert are in awe of it in much the same way as sailors are in awe of the sea. In the total wilderness, sun sears and wind scours, the land is waterless and endless, yet many people, particularly artists, find it a fascinating place. Artist Lai Mohammad Pathan also gives the desert its due. He is in love with the Tharparker Desert, Mirpurkhas, situated in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. He has a special feeling for the people of the desert and it is with affection that he paints them reflecting their life and culture. He knows what songs the desert people sing after a laboriously long day, working tirelessly under the scorching heat of the sun. He realizes the anguish and worries hidden behind their smiling faces. He observes the harsh reality of their life minutely and weaves them as chequered pattern on his canvas. He has a unique style of painting with dexterous strokes of his pallet knife. He manages to explore the pattern of suffering and strife intrinsically woven into the everyday life of his subjects. Lai Mohammad Pathan completed his Art Masters Examination from the Education Department of Sindh, Pakistan. He started his practical work in Karachi but eventually shifted to Mirpurkhas, in November 1956 and fell in love with Tharparker-the desert that forms the body of his entire work. His mission is to showcase the life and hardship of this region to the world.