Gholam Rabani

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Gholam Rabani

The following is an excerpt of our in-person interview with him in early August, 2009. Our interview was conducted through an interpreter.

His full name is Gholam Rabani Rangin. He was born 1943 in Khayanban street, and has children and one wife (right now). Khayanban Street was in the very old city of Kabul, near the President's Palace. It was called Charchat bazaar.

How old were you when you first got interested in art?

I was interested in painting since I was a child. Our painting teachers at school were very kind and nice to teach me. At home, my family and I listened to WWII on the radio, but otherwise I was not aware of the world.

When did you realize you see the world differently?

I have always seen the world according to politics, not through colors.

My first teacher was Mr. Quorban Ali, a famous master artist. I painted and one of my paintings was selected for competition when I was in 6th grade.

Mr. Brezhna was the one deciding which painting was to win the top prize. When Mr. Brezhna saw my painting, he thought it was by my master [teacher], Mr. Quorban Ali.

After I finished elementary school, I went into 9th grade at the Commerce School. They taught banking, accounting, and economics. I was attending there, but Ustad Ghousuddin Khan, a master artist, saw my painting.
He asked, "Why are you in commerce school, and not Senai school (now Art School)? So the master brought me to painting school.

I went there and Mr. Alfred Night (sp?) from Germany was also teaching there at that time.

What style of painting were you working in at this time?

During that time, I wasn’t aware of what type of painting I was painting. I was just painting what I saw in photos and around me.

When I joined the art school, I got professional training...how to sketch, how to learn painting, how to mix colors. After that they had a sculpture master teaching there. I quickly learned to love sculpture, and was always working. From home even that master sculpture Ustad would bring food for me and advise me to eat to get energy.

I was at the Senai School (Art School) for 3 years, and 2 years more working there as assistant with Mr. Brezhna and Mr.Ghousuddin.

What kind of man was Brezhna?
He was very handsome, very big, he had a big body. He was very moody and would slap me when he got upset with me.
Is he like the Father of Modern Art in Afghanistan?

The water colors of Brezhna were very strong. When I visited China and Iran they respected me because Brezhna was my teacher. The watercolor paintings of Brezhna are so amazing because no one can copy it.
[Interviewers note: It does not appear that Mr. Brezhna willl get the title of "Father of Modern Art" in Afghanistan. When the Afghans choose, my guess, from all the conversations I've heard, is that Mr.Gholam Mohammad Maimanagi may be chosen because he founded the first art school in Afghanistan, called Senai School. This school is still in existence today but by a different name.]

How did the King Amanullah know to pick you to go to Germany?
Brezhna was sent by the government to Germany. There, the German government decided which training each student should receive. Brezhna was trained in cartoon drawing, charcoal, and anatomy training.

Maimanagi was approximately thirty years older than Brezhna. It was after Brezhna came from Germany that Maimanagai started the Senai School. Maimanagi gave Brezhna a job as a teacher there. Mr. Brezhna gave training to Mr. Ghousuddin Khan, who was also my teacher. Mr. Brezhna taught anatomy and charcoal at the Senai School.
Ustad Brezhna learned music when he was also in Germany. He knew how to play the piano. In the art school in Germany, the students are not just trained in art, but in music and sculpture. Brezhna joined local master Ustad Quasem - his music is very good.

What was it like to be in his presence?

He always corrected my mistakes. When I am working with water color, I always remembers Mr. Brezhna’s training. I remember the rules he taught me. I was often at his home - sometime Mr. Brezhna played piano for me.

At what point did you feel like an Ustad like him, an equal, and not a student?

At that time, both masters Ghousuddin and Brezhna were trying to teach the students THEIR own style. I was very talented and followed my own ideas. They got upset with me, “Why do you not follow my teaching?”

During that time there was an American Culture center, and they had a library with modern books of art I liked to look at. When I saw those books, I got some ideas for painting. The masters would get upset with me for copying ideas from these books. They were books published around 1965 or so.

What about selling your paintings during this time?

About selling my paintings, there were only a few artists, so I painted 2 paintings a day by charcoal, and there were shops being visited by foreigners. We had good sales, selling paintings for 400 Afghani. One time I even had an agreement for 500 paintings with some German by the name of Spcheit (sp?).

I did work for a short time with CHA (an NGO)– and I made sculptures. About 4 years back, I made sculptures for the German Hospital near Kabul for and the Mrs. Salimi Hospital.

After the Senai school – were there periods of your life when you did certain types of art?

There was no Faculty of Art at Kabul University when I finished art school. But at that time, Mr.Fais Mohd Khaizada came from USA and was very interested in modern art. He was the son of a rich man. He organized Fine Art Training in Kabul city in 1343 (Muslim calendar year). He got all the artists together - Mr. Tamima Etemodi, Arun Shersad, Saied Moqahaddas Nega, and Zareu-e Howaida. Every month, there was a joint exhibition of the works of these artists. He brought the canvas, colors, brush for the artists.

How do you describe Modern art in Afghanistan?

I like all modern art, some people are encouraging art in this style. We like it – with modern art we explain a lot of things.

How do you know when a piece is modern?

When I was visiting the US culture center, and I saw the modern art photos, I knew that Europe was tired of classic and realistic art, so the artists have to do modern art.

An artist has a lot of things to say from their heart and mind. But they have to say it through colors.

It is like Picasso, who had many exhibitions of realistic works. One time he changed it and showed the people modern art, and then the people accepted it.

Do you work in Modern art now?

Now, most foreigners don’t like modern art from here – they like to see our culture in our paintings. But if they like modern paintings, we can paint them!

Do you like your art?

I love my own art. I will now be painting pictures according to my memory - scenes I remember from my past. I will sketch some historical scenes from Kabul's past.

What is your favorite piece of your own art – a sculpture or painting you have done?

Sculpture is my favorite. When I was an assistant at the Senai school, one of my friends was a relative of the King.

There was a competition between the students, and I worked to make a sculpture for the competition, as did my friend. I made a Bbuzkashi man on a horse with a goat. It was very natural, unfinished. My friend made a sculpture of three European ladies. The sculpture made by my friend was very finished and polished, painted.

My piece won 1st prize. It was selected by a lady Shuko Wali, an artist from France, and Mr. Aziz Tarzi, a famous artist. It was approximately 1344 (the Muslim calendar).

What do you want know the next generation of art students, the Afghans, the world, to remember about you?

For that point, I love sculpturing. Here it is not good for making sculpture, because it is not wanted in an Islamic country and the people do not like it here.

Would you like to leave?

Yes, I want to fly like a bird. This is one of my wishes. I would like to do more sculpture and modern work.

When you paint, who is speaking? Who had the most influence on you?

Ghousuddin had the most influence on me.

Who is Ghousuddin?

He always corrected my [Rabani’s] painting.

Tell me about Ghousuddin.

He was a man who had very little academic study of painting, but during his time, there was not any other person better than him. He was an extremely strong painter. During that time Mr. Brezhna had more influence and relatives in power, so Brezhna was able to approve all scholarships. Mr. Ghousuddin didn't get a scholarship.

So how did Mr. Ghousuddin became such an excellent artist?

These stories were told to me by Ghousuddin. Mr. Ghousuddin told me that when he felt pressure from Mr. Brezhna, he just worked harder and became a better painter.

There was a time that Egypt invited paintings from Afghanistan for a competition. All the artists sent paintings, but three paintings of Mr. Ghousuddin got 1st, 2nd and 3rd position. None of Mr. Brezhna's paintings were chosen.

So the story you are telling is that they were not friends?

In front of each other, they showed respect to each other, but behind each other, they were always competing. Here is another example of this:

I requested of Mr. Brezhna give a painting to me to copy. He said, "It is easy, I will give it to you. But remember that copying my work will just make you like Mr. Ghousuddin. You have to work from your own mind."

So he didn’t like me or anyone to make art by copying others. He wanted me to work like him - from my mind and heart. All of these stories I tell you have not been heard anywhere. I know they had competition between each other.

What do you think about art in Afghanistan today?

If one man or person like Mr.Fais Mohd Khaizada could come and set up training like he did, maybe the fine art would become better.

You mentioned Mr. Kabuli was your student at Senai school. Do you agree with Kabuli that we should have more faculty training in Afghanistan?

Mr. Kabuli wants all artists to be like him!

I will tell you a story to answer you.
Once, I had a big art gallery here. I kept paintings of other master artists there, too. One night, it was very late and I was sleeping. All of a sudden there was a lot of knocking on my door.
It was my brother-in-law who had just arrived from Russia. He was also an excellent painter. But I wanted to know how good of an artist he was, so I asked him to look at all the paintings in my gallery and tell me which one he liked the best.

The brother-in-law looked, and looked. In the middle of many paintings was a watercolor painting of the Kabul River with children playing. It was blue and very far away from him, but he said, "I like that one."
I asked, "why do you like that one?" He replied, "All of these other paintings are academic, and not artistic!" He had chosen my painting!
People who take lessons at the Academy, among 100 students, maybe only two will become artists, but the rest are not artists.

What makes a master artist?

The artist should know academic training, but should always free.

Who are some of the current masters who have studied under you?

Ghulam Seddiq, Khowlani Alamzai (in America), Nasrat (in Germany), and Mr. Ismael (Mr. Ismael did not study art in Kabul, but Ismael can use his ideas), (many of Ismael’s work is joint effort with Mr. Rabani.)

Who is your favorite current artist?

I like some paintings of Mr. Shukoor, not all, one of Mr. Ismael – I likes the woman portrait [pointing to a piece in the studio we were sitting in]. I do like some of Fontana’s paintings.

What do you want to paint next?

I have a different plan from painting Modern art – I want to paint oil paintings to write the poem from famous writers along artistic lines.

Gholam Rabani

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