Another proud piece of our heritage withering away
Looking at the vibrant fresco designs on the walls and ceilings of many heritage sites, I often got tempted to know more about this art. The more I probed fresco, the more it fascinated me. From prehistory to the present days, artistic developments reflect the societies in which they occur. As per historic accounts, the first fresco-type paintings date back to no less than 30,000 years ago with the paintings created in the caves of France and Spain.
Maybe the art was not much refined but it existed to explain the feelings and social developments. These early examples of fresco painting are an indication of the long and diverse history of this art form. It is said by art historians and artists that the early frescoes, painted on limestone walls of caves, contained remarkably expressive and realistic figures of horses, bison, bears, lions, mammoths, and rhinoceroses, which continue to fascinate researchers and art historians till today.
Fresco painting or Naqashi is an art form done on the walls and ceilings of buildings. It is unique as it is done on wet plaster. The paints and colours for fresco are made from plants, trees, fruits, vegetables and different elements of the earth and nature following a lengthy procedure. There are two types of fresco paintings, buono fresco (wet fresco) and fresco secco (dry fresco). Buono fresco is painting onto wet plaster, which makes a painting last a long time. Fresco secco is painting onto dry plaster, which does not last as long. Buono Fresco is found mostly in Europe and Fresco secco has been practiced mostly in the subcontinent.
By 1500 BC the techniques of fresco painting evolved to painting on wet plaster, allowing more flexibility in the use and location of frescoes for decorative purposes. The earliest known examples of such frescoes around 1500 BC are to be found in Greece and Morocco. We find fresco work in the subcontinent especially India that dates back to the 1st century BCE to the 6th and 7th CCE. These paintings are seen in Ajanta Caves representing the early Buddha era.
Similar paintings are found in the rocks and caves of Sri Lanka. Throughout the history of the subcontinent fresco work is found in the temples, mosques, havelis, forts and palaces. During the Muslim period, as the Mughal rule began this decoration became a part of every monument and building depicting the highest level of aesthetics and creativity. The Mughals developed and promoted this art by giving royal patronage and appreciation to artisans and painters. Majestic forts, palaces, residences, mosques and temples were built for which the artists from all over the subcontinent and Iran too were commissioned. That was the period when this art flourished the most.
In Lahore, especially inside the Walled City, we find some of the best examples of fresco painting. The frescoes are found in almost all Mughal and Sikh era buildings. We can see some original and mostly restored frescoes in Lahore inside the Lahore fort, Shahi Hamam, Wazir Khan Mosque, Sunheri Mosque, Begum Shahi Mosque, Haveli Dina Nath, Haveli Dhiyan Singh, Saleh Kamboh Mosque, Victoria High School, Chuna Mandi College and many other hidden buildings. These paintings are of fruits, flowers, trees, plants, birds, human faces and figures, crockery, dishes, and extremely complicated geometrical patterns. There is huge floral variety in fresco which one can see inside the Wazir Khan Mosque, built in 1634 during the era of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. There are countless patterns which make the mosque unique.
Similarly one would find interesting geometrical designs inside the Begum Shahi Mosque, which was built by Jahangir for his mother in 1611. The fresco inside the Shahi Hamam is an extraordinary example of designs. We find birds, human faces, crockery and flowers all inside Shahi Hamam which was built the Wazir Khan, the builder of the Wazir Khan Mosque. Remains of fresco are seen inside the mosque of Saleh Kamboh too. The main prayer chamber of Golden Mosque is also decorated with floral fresco designs. The most well restored and intact fresco paintings are seen in the Victoria School, the haveli of Nau Nihal Singh of Sikh era. The Havelis of Diwan Dina Nath and Raja Dhiyan Singh also have some traces of fresco work. Both these Havelis are from the Sikh era, and this shows that the Sikhs carried on this art and sustained it.
Discussing fresco with my artist friends I felt that today this art is a dying one. The dilemma is that today we hardly find any fresco artists. The art that became the zenith of Mughal and later rules in the subcontinent is today fading away. The government and private institutes must start the faculties of this art and educate students in order to sustain it. We should carry forward the art of our ancestors and I am sure that Pakistan is a country of brains who are contributing in different walks of life.
This art, if revived and brought into the limelight, can become one of the major art industries in the world. Also, the authorities like Archaeology and Walled City Lahore Authority must take measures to preserve the fading frescoes at all heritage sites. This art need to be preserved for the students and future generations.
