Cultural Discourse on the Portrayal of Courtesans in Iqbal Hussain’s Realist Art: Conventions and Implications

Iqbal Hussain is considered as one of the most renowned painters of Pakistan. He is known for his stark realism in portraying the courtesans of the Red Light district of Lahore. This paper focuses on various artistic conventions that Iqbal Hussain used to express a controversial subject matter. These conventions include the use of gaze, posture, symbol and captured moment. It is argued that since he represented a social reality that was hidden from ordinary observer, the otherwise commonly used conventions implicate psychological, moral and metaphysical domains of art interpretation. These domains are engaged as the viewer is focused, questioned and is compelled to re-evaluate the prevailing cultural discourse.