Salahuddin Mian (1938 – 28 February 2006) was

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

's first ceramic or pottery artist. He was born Mian Salahuddin.''Early life and family life'' in Born of Fire, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi, Pakistan, edited by Noorjehan Bilgrami, 2008 Pg 20 According to Mian, his inspiration to become a ceramicist was because he was "born in the locality of potters in the town of Kasur."

Early life

Mian was born in

Kasur Kasur (Urdu and pa, ; also romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The city serves as the headquarters of Kasur District. Kas ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

to an upper-middle-class Arain family of 10 children.Anwer Mian, ''My beloved uncle,'' in Born of Fire, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi, Pakistan, edited by Noorjehan Bilgrami, 2008 Pg 33 His father, Mian Mohammad Rafi was a landowner and farmer as well as member of the local council.

Education

He graduated from Government School in Kasur.''Early life and family life'' in Born of Fire, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi, Pakistan, edited by Noorjehan Bilgrami, 2008 Pg 19 In 1958, he joined the National College of Arts (NCA),

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

, graduating four years later in 1962. While there, he studied under the Japanese ceramist, Koichi Takita Sensei. He was awarded a

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

in 1965.

Personality

He reportedly "had a complex personality, respected among his peers but a loner". His father's murder deeply affected him. Shakir Ali, principal at the National College of Arts,

, Pakistan used to take deep interest in his students, was delighted at the news that Mian Salahuddin had received the Fulbright Scholarship for a Ph.D degree in the United States. But when he suggested to Mian Salahuddin that he leave his artwork behind at NCA, Lahore, as he leaves for the United States, "Mian went berserk, smashing his pots in a rage until Shakir Ali and Adil stopped him". Shakir Ali then said, "Do what you like". Mian used to be very possessive of his artwork and used to get very nervous as the artwork was moved from one venue to the other.

His work

Mian Salahuddin was a talented artist and produced pieces of art liked by many people. He referred to groups of similar pieces as "the families". His contemporary painters in Pakistan included

Bashir Mirza Bashir Mirza (1941 – 19 January 2000), also known as BM, was a Pakistani painter artist. Early life and education Born in Amritsar, British India in 1941, Mirza joined the Mayo School of Arts (now National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore ...

and Adil Salahuddin.Artworks Feature: Pakistan's potters
ABC.net (Australian website), Published 21 November 2009, Retrieved 5 January 2023

Teaching

He started his teaching career at National College of Arts (NCA) in 1963. Reportedly, as a teacher, he was a strict disciplinarian. He retired in 1998 as the head of the department.

Students

Amongst his students was Sheherezade Alam, Pakistan's first female ceramicist.

Death

He died as a result of brain cancer on 28 February 2006.

Exhibitions

* 1970: First solo exhibition, The Gallery,

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...

. * 2008: Pottery Exhibition at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi