Sadequain
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| Sadequain Naqqash | |
| Birth name | Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi |
| Born | 1930 |
| Died | February 10, 1987 Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Field | Calligraphy, Painting, Murals |
| Movement | Islamic calligraphy |
Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi (Urdu: سید صادقین احمد نقوی), also often referred to as Sadequain Naqqash, was a world-renowned Pakistani artist, best known for his skills as a calligrapher and a painter. He is considered as one of the finest painters and calligraphers Pakistan has ever produced.
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[edit] Personal life
Sadequain was born in 1930, descending from 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[1] He also spent some time in Paris augmenting his skills.[2] Sadequain received much praise for his calligraphic style, which is widely considered iconic by many critics of South Asian art.[3] Anwar Sadequain was the only student of Sadequain, who completed Art work after his death at Frare Hall. Frare Hall was renovated by Sadequain and art work at the roof of Frare Hall was the gift from Sadeqauin and Anwar Sadequain to the City of Karachi.
[edit] Calligraphy
Sadequain was responsible for the renaissance of Islamic Calligraphy in Pakistan since late 1960s.[4] He transformed the art of calligraphy into eye-catching expressionist paintings.
His calligraphy was endowed with divine inspiration giving it a dimension of time and space. He carried the script with a flourish in all directions, giving it the power of space, vigor and volume.[5] Before Sadeqain, few painters had experimented with the medium in Pakistan. But Sadequain is commended for bringing calligraphy into a mainstream art form, as most of the known Pakistani artists have followed Sadequain and calligraphic art now dominates the art scene. Sadequain also painted classical literature from the poetic verses of Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz. He belonged to the school of thought which enriched realism with lyricism.
Sadequain wrote thousand of quartets and published them. His works have been openly and widely copied, an irony since the artist himself hardly ever sold his works in spite of offers coming from the royals and the common public. As an example, his masterpiece rendition of Sureh-e-Rehman has been copied widely by many known painters of the modern era.
[edit] Murals
Sadequain was a social commentator. His murals generally depict man’s endless quest to discover and develop the potentialities that lie within him and without. 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 at:
- The State Bank of Pakistan (100 x 12 ft),
- The Power House at the Mangla Dam (200 x 30 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)
[edit] Awards
- 1961, Paris Biennale
[edit] Anniversary
Sadeqain died on February 10, 1987 in Karachi at the age of 57. He is buried in Shakhi Hassan graveyard.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Begum Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy: a biography, Oxford University Press, 1991. ISBN 978-0195774146
- ^ Partha Mitter, Indian Art, Oxford University Press, 2001. ISBN 9780192842213
- ^ Asim Fareed, Rediscovering Sadequain: the artist of the dustbin, Daily Times, January 24, 2004
- ^ Seminar on Art and Culture. Pakistan National Council of the Arts, 1975
- ^ Abdul Hamid Akhund, Farida Munavarjahan Said and Zohra Yusuf (ed.), Sadequain: The Holy Sinner, Mohatta Palace Museum, Karachi. ISBN 969-8100-17-2
[edit] External links
- Sadequain: The Holy Sinner Multimedia Project by Mohatta Palace Museum
- Sadequain - as I know him
- Sadequain work and biography
