Sadequain

Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi ( ur, ) (30 June 1930 10 February 1987), often referred to as Sadequain Naqqash, was a Pakistani artist, best known for his skills as a calligrapher and a painter. He is considered one of the finest painters and calligraphers Pakistan has ever produced.Sadequain: Pakistan’s Great Painter and Calligrapher by pakistanthinktank.org
Retrieved 9 February 2018 He was also a poet, writing hundreds of rubāʿiyāt in the style of Omar Khayyam and Sarmad Kashani.

Early life

Sadequain was born on 30 June 1930 in Amroha, into a family of calligraphers. In late 1940s he joined the Progressive Writers' and Artists Movement. His true talent was discovered by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy who brought Sadequain into the limelight. He also spent some time in Paris augmenting his skills.

Medium of work

Calligraphy

Sadequain was widely praised for his calligraphic style, which is considered iconic by many critics of South Asian art.

Sadequain was part of a broader Islamic art movement that emerged independently across North Africa and parts of Asia in the 1950s and known as the Hurufiyya movement. Hurufiyah refers to the attempt by artists to combine traditional art forms, notably calligraphy as a graphic element within a contemporary artwork. Hurufiyah artists rejected Western art concepts, and instead searched for a new visual languages that reflected their own culture and heritage. These artists successfully transformed calligraphy into a modern aesthetic, which was both contemporary and indigenous. Prior to Sadeqain's work, only a few painters had experimented with the medium in Pakistan. Sadequain is a pioneer of the style, bringing calligraphy into a mainstream art form, and influencing subsequent generations of Pakistani artists.

Salahi carried the script with a flourish in all directions, giving it the 'power of space, vigor and volume'.

Sadequain painted classical literature from the poetic verses of Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz. He belonged to the school of thought which enriched realism with lyricism. His work was essentially linear. He also illustrated French Nobel Prize–winning writer Albert Camus. Thousand of the drawings he executed, were given away to his admirers. He wrote and published hundreds of quartets.

Sadequain was the most prolific painter in the period following the independence of Pakistan in 1947. He was constantly at work and he worked on large scale. He repeatedly stated that he was not interested in decorating drawing rooms of rich and powerful. He worked on large murals for public buildings, symbolic of the collective labour of humanity, and his work was mostly donated to the public.

Sadequain in his own words was primarily a painter of figures with allegorical significance.

Murals

Sadequain was a social commentator. His murals depict man's endless quest to discover and develop the potentialities that lie within him. His murals are densely filled and tightly packed with images to render adequately the lofty subject. As a master muralist some of his works adorn the halls of:
* The State Bank of Pakistan (100 x 12 ft)
* The Power House at the Mangla Dam (170 x 23 ft)
* Lahore Museum, Lahore
* Aligarh Muslim University (70 x 12 ft)
* Banaras Hindu University (70 x 12 ft) and
* Geological Institute of India (70 x 25 ft)
* Frere Hall Karachi
* Powerhouse at Abu Dhabi
* Punjab University Library

His monumental murals, in excess of thirty-five, adorn the halls of State Bank, Frere Hall Karachi; Lahore Museum; Punjab University; Mangla Dam; Aligarh Muslim University; Banaras Hindu University; Indian Institute of Geological Sciences; Islamic Institute in Delhi, and Abu Dhabi Power House, among others. His paintings and calligraphies in the building of the Islamic Institute in Delhi alone cover more than seven thousand square feet. Sadequain painted his earliest murals at Jinnah Hospital and PIA headquarters in the 1950s. These murals have disappeared and their fate is unknown.

In 1961 he painted the huge mural (62'X10') in the Head Office of the State Bank of Pakistan at Karachi, titled "Treasures of Time," in which he showed the intellectual advance of man from the times of Socrates to that of Iqbal and Einstein. It is a linear creation that shows a pageant of intellectuals and thinkers of the Greek era, mathematicians and chemists of the Middle East, the scholars of the European Renaissance, and the 20th-century laureates. This large mural has endured transportation from the State Bank to Mohatta Palace (for the exhibition The Holy Sinner), and back to State Bank and has deep scars to prove the ordeal.

Sadequain painted the ceiling of the Lahore museum entrance hall, depicting Evolution of Mankind, and additional nine large panels of calligraphies for the Islamic Gallery. The ceiling spans approximately 100 x . The Panjab government has recently allocated money for the restoration of the mural.

Punjab University houses the mural "Quest of Knowledge" in its library. The mural appropriately depicts the academic theme commensurate with the institution of learning where it is housed. Young men and women are shown holding high the key to learning that unleashes riches in their lives. The mural is mounted high up against the ceiling of the main library and appears to be in good condition.

The mural in the Punjab Library (adjacent to Lahore Museum) is mounted in the library hall located on the main floor. All four sections of the mural have been disassembled and dismounted because of the damage to the building due to water seepage.

The ceiling of the Frere Hall, Karachi displays in bold, the words, ''Arz-o-Samawat'' (Earth and the Heavens) bears a historical significance, since it represents the last piece of work by Sadequain. He died before he could complete it. Before he started painting the stupendous mural on the ceiling he dedicated it to the citizens of the great city of Karachi. The mural is for the citizens to cherish and it should be treated as a national treasure. However, because of the security conditions, the citizens are deprived of entry in Frere Hall and the impressive historical building along with the Mural lie in desperate need of care. The bright colors Sadequain used in the mural to depict the Earth and the Heavens are fading away because of the environmental conditions. The large mural is painted on dozens of individual panels that are put together like the pieces of a puzzle. Several of the panels are detached and hang down under their own weight. It is only a matter of time before the panels start falling apart.

The mural titled "Saga of Labor" by Sadequain at Mangla Dam is a glowing tribute to the working men and women of all times and places who form the backbone of any society. The mural hangs in the powerhouse of Mangla Dam and so far endured the harsh environmental conditions of the huge enclosure that also houses gigantic electric turbines.

Banaras Hindu University houses one large mural. It is kept in good condition because of the care provided to it by the authorities.

In addition to the murals mentioned above, Sadequain did many others, perhaps in the neighborhood of over thirty-five in all. However, the whereabouts of several of them are not certain. For example, one mural was done for the Naval Headquarters, but cannot be located. There was one done for the PIA's office in Paris, which does not exist at that location. There were murals dedicated to the War of 1965 that cannot be traced.

Sadequain painted thousands of paintings, drawings, and murals in his lifetime. He hardly ever sold his work and mostly gave it away; sometimes his work was simply taken, and sometimes even stolen. In his lifetime there were two galleries named after him by the authorities, but they no longer exist.

Rubaiyat

Sadequain belonged to the fertile small town of Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, India, which had produced a number of eminent scholars, poets, and many other prominent luminaries in the past. It was his great grand father, under whose tutelage Mir Taqi Mir – considered the father of Urdu poetry – developed his poetic skills at an early age. Mir Anis, the preeminent religious poet from Lucknow, was the understudy of one of his ancestors too. He witnessed his elders delve in poetry, calligraphy, and even classical music to the extent it complimented ''marsia khwani'' – the revered practice to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain in Karbala. An accomplished poet of merit himself, Sadequain studied since childhood the eloquent and picturesque poetic renditions of supreme sacrifice of Karbala, penned by Mir Anis and Mirza Dabeer. Sadequain himself composed conventional marsias at an early age, and penned one in memoriam of his younger sister’s death in 1946, when he was in his teens. The soul of marsia is inspired by the ultimate sacrifice and human suffering thus evoking empathy for the righteous and the deprived – the common victims of society. He grew up a traditionalist, with rich cultural values, solid grounding in fine arts, and cultivated a sense of appreciation for history’s significance. By the time he was 18 he had composed over 400 pieces of poetry and sketched scores of drawings.

Sadequain was blessed with an exemplary talent in all three distinct traits in the arts and literature; he was a prime painter, impeccable calligrapher, and an accomplished poet. He artfully weaved these three genres together and embellished them with his deep thinking philosophical streak. A unique and rare combination, perhaps one and only, which brought together, in his own words, the talents of poet Omar Khayyam, calligrapher Yaqoot, and painter Mani. Few in history have distinguished themselves in mastering multiple disciplines like Omar Khayyam did as an accomplished poet and a mathematician. Humans are endowed with the gift of reason and have the power of expression. But all who can write cannot be termed writers and all who can paint cannot be classified as painters. Sadequain mastered the two domains of writing and painting, and bridged them in a seamless manner of preeminence; a manner not witnessed previously in the region or since. His appreciation of classical poetry later manifested in his illustrations and interpretations of the poetry of Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

Starting in the last quarter of 1969, and through the first few months in 1970, Sadequain concentrated on composing, inscribing, and illustrating hundreds of rubaiyyat, arguably a composite creation by a single person unparalleled in the realm of art and literature. In the prologue of his collection of rubaiyyat, Sadequain compared his accomplishment as an audacious confluence of global talent, the rubaiyyat of poet Omar Khayyam, transcription by the renowned calligrapher Yaqoot and illustration by the legendary painter Mani. “That of course would produce a magnificent piece of work”, he stated, “however, no matter how grand, it would still be a group show.” Sadequain reached for the ultimate one-man show, and produced a masterpiece collection of rubaiyyat, which was adjudged for first prize by the Literary Society of Pakistan. Sadequain privately published 4 books of rubaiyyat; Rubaiyyat-e-Sadequain Naqqash, Rubaiyyat-e-Sadequain Khattat, Rubaiyyat-e-Sadequaini, and Juzw-e-Bosida. The collection titled Rubaiyyat-e-Sadequain Naqqash was an illustrated version with over two hundred drawings. The collection of rubaiyyat titled Juzw-e-Bosida, dating back to his poetry of teen years, was printed privately in the 1980s, but the drawings of his teen years were lost or destroyed.

His poetic work is now being considered for research specially by the Urdu Laureates, a recent publication was by Mr. Prof. Siddiq Masih form Lahore, he published his thesis work about his rubaiyaat during is M.Phil tehsis.

Speaker of truth

In an interview he said, "People ask why I don't paint flowers, butterflies and landscapes? I tell them that I seek the truth and I am after reality. I am not inspired by someone posing against the backdrop of roses in a vase or pink curtains. What inspires me is a person who has gone hungry for hours and is struggling for survival. The expression that lights his face at the end of the day when he has finally found some scraps, that is what touches me. I am a painter of the expression of reality." Self-proclaimed "Faqir," Sadequain was outside society's worldly greed or hypocrisy and called himself "speaker of truth."

Best known for his calligraphies, Sadequain painted abstracts, drawings, and sketches on thousands of canvases, volumes of paper, and multitudes of other conventional and unconventional materials.

Renaissance of Islamic calligraphy

Sadequain was responsible for the renaissance of Islamic calligraphy in Pakistan. He was one of the greatest calligraphers of Pakistan and helped transform the art of calligraphy into serious expressionist paintings. He claimed that his transformation into a calligrapher was manifested by divine inspiration. He did not follow the established tradition and created his own style of script. His alphabets exude motion, mood, and paint vivid pictures of the message of the words of Quran. Sadequain claimed that many of his paintings, especially after the seventies, had been based on calligraphic forms to portray images of cities, buildings, forests, men, and women.

In Pakistan, the art of calligraphy was relegated to a second-class status until Sadequain adapted this medium in the late nineteen sixties. Until then a few painters experimented with the medium but it remained just that, an experiment. After Sadequain transformed the art of calligraphy into a mainstream art form, most of the known Pakistani artists have followed Sadequain and calligraphic art now dominates the art scene.

True artist

In nineteen sixties Sadequain was invited by the French authorities to illustrate the award-winning novel "The Stranger" by French writer Albert Camus. Sadequain also illustrated on canvas the poetry of Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz as homage to their place in classical literature. Sadequain wrote thousands of quartets, which address a common theme of social and cultural dogmas and published them.

A special word is warranted about the large murals Sadequain painted, which are spread all over the subcontinent. His murals depict man's struggle, his achievements and persistent thirst to discover his endless potential. His murals are full of activity, ideas, and they read like an unfolding story about their particular theme.

One of his most powerful works is the gigantic mural measuring 200×30 feet for the Power House of Mangla Dam. He completed it in an incredible period of three months during which he worked day and night. Aptly so, the mural is titled "The Saga of Labor," The mural, one of the largest in the world portrays the history of mankind. Its pays homage to its characters, which are exclusively labourers and worker, facing and struggling against the powerful elements of nature.

Sadequain was a social commentator. He crafted his message on canvas by the aid of powerful symbols and rich colours. Characteristically he would address particular situations through a series of paintings, which would follow a common theme and yet maintain their individuality. His symbols transformed with time as he adapted to the changing conditions.

His works

During the 1960s he stayed in interior Sindh, in areas surrounded by desert, where nothing could grow except cactus which would break through the rugged sandy ground. The sight of the wild cactus growing in scorching heat and surviving the harshest of conditions left a lasting impression on Sadequain. He adapted this symbol to depict labour, struggle, and persistence against natural elements of resistance and triumph of hard work.

Sadequain sketched numerous drawings titled Cobweb Series, Crow Series, Christ Series, Hope Series, and Sun Series during the sixties, which were commentaries on prevailing social and cultural conditions. Sadequain saw cobwebs engulfing our society rendering it speechless and motionless. The Crow Series projected men as timid worshippers of scarecrows because they have lost self-respect and spirituality. Crows however are not intimidated and gang up on humanity in flocks and pick on lifeless humans. In the Christ Series Sadequain showed the crime being committed in front of the Christ while he was still alive on the Cross.

Contrary to man's images portrayed in Cobweb or Crow Series of drawings, Sadequain glorified the hard work and labour of ordinary workingmen by showing them struggling with primitive tools during the stone age, developing agricultural land, discovering scientific breakthroughs, and exploring the universe. He sometimes used Kufic script to form human images and carried that theme through vast canvases. One of the representative works of this genre is titled "The Last Supper," which was awarded the prestigious Binnale de Paris award in France. Sadequain was awarded first prize in National Exhibition of Pakistan in the early sixties. He was bestowed with several awards and medals in Pakistan as well as foreign countries. But he seldom attended the award ceremonies or accepted the award money.

Sadequain had a commanding knowledge of literature. He wrote thousands of "Rubaiyats," which he published in several books. These verses have been adjudged unique and critically acclaimed by literary elite. Like his paintings, the verses also address the topics of human nature, virtues and weaknesses of society.

During his life Sadequain exhibited his works on all continents. His exhibitions in foreign countries were sponsored at State levels and were attended by large audiences from all walks of life. A "faqir" at heart he gave away most of his paintings to friends and foes, and painted gigantic murals in public buildings at no cost. He declared the giveaways as gifts to the citizens of the cities where the public buildings were situated.

Sadequain has been covered in the print and electronic media extensively such as the TV series "Mojeeza-e-Fun" which highlighted his work in a masterful documentary. "The Holy Sinner" is a book published in 2003, cataloguing a number of his paintings, which were exhibited at Mohatta Palace, Karachi during the same year. The massive book is one of the largest and heaviest ever published in Pakistan and it also has a collection of articles about Sadequain published previously in magazines and papers over the course of years.

List of key works

* 1955 – Mural at Jinnah Hospital, exhibitions at Frere Hall
* 1963 – Held several exhibitions while visiting the US
* 1964–65 – Lithographic illustration of L'Étranger by Albert Camus
* 1967 – Executed mural at Mangla Dam
* 1968 – Executed mural at Punjab University Library
* 1969 – Calligraphy of '' Sura-e-Rehman''
* 1969 - Crucifixion series - of which one painting was sold at GBP 118,750 during a 2017 auction at Bonhams in London.
* 1970 – One-man show
* 1970 – Produced a masterpiece collection of rubaiyyat, which was adjudged for first prize by the Literary Society of Pakistan. Sadequain privately published book of rubaiyyat; Rubaiyyat-e-Sadequain Naqqash.
* 1973 – Murals in Lahore Museum
* 1974 – Exhibitions in Middle East and Eastern Europe
* 1976 – Mural at National Bank of Pakistan, adjacent to GPO at Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Lahore
* 1976 – T.V. Series ''Mojiza-e-Fun''
* 1977 – Illustrations of the classical Urdu