ABDUR RAHMAN CHUGHTAI (1894-1975)

This etching by Chughtai illustrates the artist's extraordinary skill as a draughtsman. Featuring a Kashmiri woodcutter, the work's intricacy is reminiscent of the prints of Aubrey Beardsley, whose dense linear designs had become very fashionable in both Europe and India at the beginning of the twentieth century. Chughtai's etchings were printed in extremely small editions, rarely numbered. This print is among his largest etchings.
Chughtai elegantly depicts a common sight in Kashmir, a woodcutter shown in his traditional robe, sack and axe, his back curving under the weight of his task.