SOM NATH BUTT ( 1925-1973 ) , THE
VINCENT VAN GOGH OF KASHMIR
“I vividly remember Miss Mehmooda Ahmed Ali Shah
( the then principal of the Women’s College, M A Road , Srinagar ) coming to our
house on 9th December, 1973 , throwing
her shawl to the ground and sitting on the floor with us to mourn the
death of my father. She wept like a child hugging my mother for more than
15 minutes at a stretch. Wiping her tears ,she said this to my mother in chaste Kashmiri .“Jaya Ji , meti chhu
dahan dohan dokhas beuhun. Su ouss me boiy” meaning (Jaya Ji, I have
also to sit for the 10 days
mourning . He was my brother ). I was informed by my mother that Dr Naseer
Ahmed Shah , Dr Tahir Mirza , Members of Sadiq Sahib’s family , Abdul
Haq Barq and my father's childhood friend Sheikh Ghulam Mohammad
frequented our house during the mourning period. Syed Mir Qasim, who was the
Chief Minister at that time sent a message to us that he had decided to send me
to Baroda for proper training in art absolutely free on a government
scholarship. Possibly my father had conveyed my interest in painting to his close friends like Sadiq Sahib ,
Syed Mir Qasim , poet Dina Nath Nadim and D P Dhar. Support and sympathy
poured in from all quarters .We were poor and incompetent to handle this wave
of support and sympathy. Consequently ,my mother had to keep the
struggle continued for survival of the family and education of her
children. We clung to her like infants for emotional and material support .” said Ramesh Kumar Butt, the son of artist Som Nath Butt.
EARLY
YEARS
Som Nath Butt was born in 1925 at Badiyar Bala locality of
Srinagar city He
did his initial schooling in Srinagar . After completing his F.Sc. from S P College Srinagar som Nath
Butt went to Gulmarg (to live with his elder sister ) where his Brother
in Law Pandit Radha Krishen Koul worked in a Hotel owned by a European
.It was here that the young sensitive boy who had lost his
mother in his infancy , came in direct contact with nature enabling him to
express himself through a select medium using paper and pencils . The Artist was thus born at Gulmarg .
He
volunteered to serve the refugees from Baramulla town who had been
housed in the school buildings after the tribal raid of 1947 .The pain and
suffering he witnessed in these camps drifted him temporarily to Marxism though
he never belonged to any political party nor happened to be an atheist. I am
informed by the family that he would
visit the shrines of Dastgeer Sahib,
Maqdoom Sahib and Reshi Peer as and when he found time . He always kept a photograph of Swami Ram
Tirath in his pocket . Ramesh Kumar Butt , the son of the artist said
this:-
“
My father would also sing K L Saigal songs . Dilip Kumar was his favourite
actor . He must have seen Dilip Kumar's Daag more than 30 times. He was greatly touched by
Dilip Kumar"s role as Devdas. Nadim Sahib was a frequent
visitor to our house .In fact my father was the first to design the sets for Nadim Sahib immortal
opera “Bombur Yemberzal ” .Apart
from this ,he enjoyed listening to Sufiana Music , Lal Vaakhs and
Shams Faquir’s compositions . My sisters Asha Ji and Veena Ji were quite
attached to him . They are married since and live happily with their families .I
can say that by thought he appeared to be a Marxist yet at heart he was a Darvesh
in true sense . He was full of compassion and careless about his own self . He gave some of
the priceless painting to his friends free. He would easily believe anybody and
was instantly moved to see any pain and suffering forgetting his own self.”
PERCY BROWN’S INFLUENCE
Butt was also
influenced by Percy Brown, the great poet, painter, writer and art historian who
had settled in Kashmir after having retired from the Government School for Arts
and Crafts, Kolkata. Percy Brown had contributed
significantly for the development of the
Amar Singh Technical Institute in
Srinagar .The institution was started by Maharaja Partap Singh . Percy Brown
had married the pretty daughter of the British Resident of Kashmir , Col.
Talbot . Percy Brown played an important
role in S N Butt’s grooming. Percy Brown had seen Butt sitting
on the Bund facing the river and drawing on his sketch book. Percy Brown would
always watch him silently. And one day Brown talked to young Butt and
encouraged him to carry on with his work more effectively. Percy Brown taught him expressionism in
landscape painting. After his retirement, Percy Brown along with his wife settled in
Kashmir. After the death of his wife in 1943, he moved to live in a houseboat
named Catherine anchored near the Srinagar club, the Bund. Percy Brown’s
presence in Kashmir proved immensely helpful to the local artists like Triloke
Kaul, P N Kachru, S N Butt and D N Walli. In Kashmir, he remained in touch with
some known artists and painters who often visited him for guidance. He died in 1955 and lies buried in the Sheikh Bagh cemetery, Amirakadal, Srinagar.
S
H RAZA CONNECTION
In
1948, S H Raza, the well known Indian artist stayed for the full summer season
in Kashmir. His stay was not only a big encouragement for the local artists but
also resulted in the formation of the Progressive Artists Association led by
Triloke Kaul, P.N. Kachru and Som Nath Butt.
S H Raza was amused to see
the aptitude and drawing of Som Nath Butt. Som Nath Butt
remained Raza's favourite. Exposing
him to cubism, impressionism, abstract
art, portraiture and many other forms of
modern art, Raza also introduced a variety of European artists to Butt, most
significantly Vincent Van Gogh, which influence is starkly
visible in his work. S H Raza also gifted some art books to Som Nath Butt
that had paintings and sketches done by masters like Paul Cézanne, Gauguin, Paul
Klee, Pablo Picasso, George Braque, Degas, Renoir and Vincent Van Gogh.
Many visitors to Butt's house learnt much from these books. Amongst these
visitors, some prominent names are Bansi
Parimu, Umesh Kaul and Kishori Kaul. Before
being trained by S H Raza, Som Nath Butt had also received training in modern
art from G
M Salgaonkar, the well-known artist from
Mumbai. While in Kashmir ,Raza also
drew a portrait of Som Nath Butt
sometime in 1948. This portrait changed many hands and was finally sold in June 2018 by a Mumbai
art auctioneer for USD19800 ( about
13.06 lakh Indian rupees ) .
About
S H Raza and Som Nath Butt connection ,the well known writer , painter and
broadcaster, Pran Kishore
Kaul told me this :-
“It was S H
Raza who had seen a passionate spark in S N Butt’s paintings which we came to
know later on. That is why Raza had taken him under his tutelage. Not only he,
but Triloke Kaul and another amateur painter from Rainawari , Prithvi Nath
Kachru , who too kept on visiting Raza whenever he was free. And to introduce
modernism in painting in Kashmir, God had sent an angel in the form of S H
Raza. He became a binding factor between S N Butt and Triloke
Kaul. P N Kachru
joined them later. Butt had found out a place for Raza to live in near his own
house. And as such, he along with Triloke Kaul would spend lot of time with
him. Sometimes P.N. Kachru too would be with them. They would go on long walks
over the Bund which was the best avenue those days for a peaceful and inspiring
stroll. Raza had become their mentor. One thing was sure that S N Butt had become a favourite student
of Raza . And Raza would affectionately call him by his pet name ‘
Lassa’.”
PROGRESSIVE ARTISTS
ASSOCIATION
This Progressive movement in Kashmir
was patronized by Balraj Sahni ,S H Raza and Percy Brown . The main
three local artist who formed this association were Som Nath Butt, Triloke Kaul
and P N Kachru .This ‘Trio’, as they came to be know, heralded the
Modern Art movement in the Kashmir
valley .This ‘Trio’ later joined the School of Design opened by
Jammu And Kashmir Government in different positions and capacities. Sayed Haider
Raza’s visit to Kashmir that acted as a
catalytic agent for the formation of the Progressive Artists Association. For
some time,Raza stayed in the house of artist Shuban Kaw at Badiyar in Srinagar
city. He did pioneering work by training some young artists from Kashmir in
modern trends of art. In 1948, supported
by S H Raza and Percy Brown, three young
artists namely S N Butt, Triloke Kaul,
and P N Kachru formed the ‘ Progressive
Artists Association ‘. In
May 1949, this association held its first art exhibition in Srinagar. In
October 1949, this association held a major art exhibition outside the
state. Held in New Delhi, the October
1949 exhibition was inaugurated by Prof
Humayun Kabir. The May 1949 exhibition
in Srinagar was also attended by S H Raza who was already a member of the
‘Bombay Progressive Artists' group that had
M F Husain, S K Bakre, F N Souza,
H A Gade and many more as its members.
SOM NATH BUTT AS
ARTIST
Som Nath Butt attended the October 1949 exhibition
held by the Progressive Artists Association in New Delhi. This exhibition was
inaugurated by Humayun Kabir, the
then Minister for Education, GOI . It was widely covered
by newspapers describing Butt as 'wizard of
colour combinations'. Along with Triloke Kaul, Som Nath Butt held
an exhibition at Mumbai in 1950. Noticing his fresh style, many newspapers
carried a lead story under the caption, ‘
A new star is born on the art horizon of the country ‘ .
In Kashmir ,Som Nath
Butt’s paintings were on display at the Tourist Reception Centre, Srinagar,
University of Kashmir , Government College for Women, M A Road, Srinagar and many more institutions
.Though most of the painting of Som Nath Butt
have disappeared from public places or institutions yet a few still
decorate the walls of some art galleries of the country including NGMA, New
Delhi. His paintings were also acquired
by some prominent persons from Kashmir
that included G M Sadiq,
Dr Naseer, Miss Mehmooda Ahmed Ali Shah, Dr Tahir Mirza , Agha Ashraf Ali ,
Durga Prasad Dhar and many more who happened to be
well wishers of the artist and
connoisseurs of his art. Unfortunately , the artist's
family has none with them .
Some paintings of Som Nath Butt titled ‘The Houses’,
‘Landscape – I’, ‘landscape- II’ and ‘Autumn’ were acquired by the J&K Academy of Art,
Culture, and Languages before his death. The fate of these paintings is not
known. The whereabouts of his well-known works titled ‘Winter Scene in
Kashmir’, ‘Two Flowers’ and ‘Twelve Flowers’ are also not known.
Though most of the paintings of S N Butt have disappeared and are in
private possession yet a few still decorate the walls of prominent Art
Galleries of the country . Some were also on display at
Tourist Reception Centre Srinagar before being suddenly removed and
shifted to some unknown destination . I am also informed by the family that
some Paintings were in possession of Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq ’s family
.The artist's family has none with them.
While
in Kashmir , M F Husain would invariably meet S N Butt and come direct to the
School of Design where Butt was employed. Husain remained a great
admirer of S N Butt.
Prof Arvind
Gigoo Adds this :-
“S N Butt's two paintings were hanging on the wall
of the staff room of Amar Singh College. One painting was with Agha Ashraf
Ali. One painting was neglected in the library of Kashmir University. I
don't know what happened to those paintings.”
The salwart artist, Triloke Kaul adds
this :-
“ Balraj Sahni was our
common friend.He had a special liking for people from the Kashmir valley. Always helpful. He was a
great admirer of S N Butt’s art. In fact S N Butt was quite close to Balraj
Sahni . They would have their drinks together . “
The influence of the Dutch painter Van Gogh is
starkly visible in his form and style. Through
colour schemes , powerful fusion of form and content , he created his own style
in figurative abstract .This artist was able to explain either his struggle
against the system and circumstances or his comprehension of the spiritual
essence of man and nature. Prof Jaya Parimu told me this :-
“ One painting of S N Butt was hanging in the
auditorium of the Women's College, M A
Road , Srinagar for some time. Sadiq
Sahib was requested to arrange the sale through the office of Cultural Academy
of his works when Butt Sahib was in a precarious condition. He had to have some
money for his sustenance. Alcoholism had spoiled his health and his precious
pieces of art were lying for want of recognition and sale. Several paintings of
his got distributed in different institutions. His main forte was figurative abstract and alleys,
homes ,roofs, attics were mainly shown whatever pieces I had chance to see. He
was a great artist of the century. Here received praise from the British art connoisseurs. A known colourist. Unsung
and now unheard in the world of art .”
THE
LIQUOR ADDICTION
After the successful
exhibition in Mumbai, Triloke Kaul returned to Kashmir while Butt was detained
by some affluent connoisseur of art and given space to live and paint with all the facility he needed included
a couple of drinks to relax. That made S N Butt a known figure in the social
circles of Bombay. It was during that sojourn in Bombay that Butt came into
contact with Balraj Sahni who belonged
more to Kashmir than Bombay. This Bombay life continued for some time for Butt.
Padama-shri Pran Kishore Kaul said this :-
“ When S N
Butt returned from Mumbai , he was being held in high esteem
especially by the intellectuals. So all the painters of the younger generation
became conscious that though the gift of painting had been given to them by the
almighty God but professional training too was important. It was Butt who was
now like a godfather for them. He meanwhile had got introduced to some army officers
who were interested in fine arts. The vibrant colours and the new technique of
S N Butt that he used in his paintings, influenced by modern painters of Europe
like Cézanne and Paul Klee, fascinated
them. They purchased some of his paintings too for their mess. This encouraged
him to join some of their parties too. It drove him towards the pleasure
of having a couple of drinks. That gradually started his journey through
alcohol. But he continued painting and we loved him for that. Not only for
that, but also for his affection he had for everyone and the love he showered
on his friends. It was in that scenario that the popular bar of Laba Kaul
came up in Regal Chowk that turned soon into the ‘Moulin Rogue’ for the
painters, writers and intellectuals where they started meeting and relax over a
drink and sizzling Kebabs. S N Butt, became a favourite of Laba Kaul the
owner of the joint. G R Santosh,
Triloke Kaul, P N Kachru too would
assemble there. Great meetings, great discussions, petty quarrels and heated
arguments. That was the evening scene at Laba Kaul’s ‘Moulin Rouge.’
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