Drawings by SADEQUAIN

Drawings by SadequainThis book contains black and white drawings.

The seminal book on Sadequain titled Saga of SADEQUAIN states, “Sadequain’s contribution to the field of arts is enormous, his contribution to the field of literature is immense, and his contribution to the nation is unparalleled and unsurpassed by academic standards or in its monetary value. He did not simply produce ordinary paintings to earn a living, but painted monuments and donated all to mankind. His art was compared to that of Picasso by recognized European art critic in the largest French newspaper, La Figaro; he was declared the greatest modern day poet of Urdu rubai (quatrain) by Indian professor and author in his book titled, Tanqeed-e-Rubai, and the newspaper Khaleej Times declared him responsible for the renaissance of calligraphic art. The number and surface area of his murals exceeds that of Michelangelo and Diego Rivera combined. Subject of many books and focus of doctorate theses, yet Sadequain remains an enigma. People of Pakistan know him, but do not know why they know him. He should be known to the world, but he is not. His story, so compelling and even more so intriguing, has not been told yet.”

Sadequain is arguably the most visible, recognizable, written-about and most talked-about artist of the country. He was prolific and innovative, two mutually exclusive traits. He painted relentlessly for almost 40 years — from the early 1950s until February 10, 1987 — when he passed away at the age of 57 in Karachi. He painted by some estimates more than 15,000 pieces of art, comprised of murals, paintings, drawings, and calligraphies. He introduced awe-inspiring mural art to the country and painted more than 45 gigantic murals in his life, which are spread over Pakistan, India, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. By sheer talent and application, he stamped his own style on his work, which was firmly rooted in his Indo-Persian background and rich cultural heritage. Strong and distinctive lines, shapes, faces, figures, and somber colors are the hallmark of his distinguished artwork that has been pronounced stunning and striking by the best of minds. Dr. Akbar Naqvi, one of the most respected art critics of Pakistan states in his book, IMAGE and IDENTITY, “If Sadequain had done nothing else but only drawings he would still be considered one of the inventors of modern art in the country.” The intellectual genius of Sadequain has impacted the development of modern and contemporary art with unparalleled magnitude. His prolific output of murals, paintings, drawings, calligraphies and poetry convey myriad intellectual, political, social, and amorous messages. It would not be an exaggeration to say that if Sadequain had done nothing else but only murals even then he would have been considered the greatest artist of the region.