The Legend of SADEQUAIN – Renaissance of Calligraphic Art (Hardback)

Description

This book, the first of its kind about Sadequain, presents a collection of his calligraphic masterpieces. It also provides insight into Sadequain’s unique and unconventional lifestyle. Sadequain is the most written and talked about artist of Pakistan. Many writers and critics have expressed their opinions, praises, critiques, interpretations, and suppositions about his work. One common element, which is missing in most of these commentaries, is that, they seldom take into consideration what Sadequain himself had to say about his work. The focal point of this book is Sadequain’s magnanimous persona, his eventful life and amazing calligraphic work, in many cases presented in his own words. Not to upstage the soon-to-be-published biography of Sadequain by the SADEQUAIN Foundation, this book can be viewed as a preview of that all-encompassing biography. What this book does not attempt to provide, however, is a critical analysis of his work. It simply records the material in a manner that can frankly be defined as “tell-it-like-it-is.” Sadequain is the most prominently visible artist of Pakistan, made so by among other things, his intellect, monumental murals, ingenious calligraphic work, and his ever-so-giving nature. Upon the mere mention of the name “Sadequain,” the response would invariably be: “You mean the calligrapher.” Sadequain and calligraphy are synonymous in Pakistan. One can drive around the metropolitan cities of Karachi, Lahore, or Islamabad and spot calligraphic inscriptions on private residences, businesses, and billboards, imitating Sadequain’s distinctive handwriting — a distinction reserved only for Sadequain — and a novel way for citizens to pay homage to the country’s most celebrated artist. It is homage to his revolutionary style indeed, for which he set aside the old traditions of the established calligraphic scripts and invented his own distinctive iconography, often referred to as “Khatt-e-Sadequaini.” In a short period of time, Sadequain turned the calligraphic world upside-down and ushered in a calligraphic revolution in the country that created a wave of aspiring calligraphers, now engaged in new experiments and thus redefining the centuries-old art form. What is most unusual to comprehend in this materialistic age is that he gave all of his calligraphic work to institutions and individuals without compensation. Based on the stated facts, one might assume that art historians would document such a significant impact on the calligraphic art and that Sadequain’s calligraphic art would be cataloged in some form for posterity. However, the reality is otherwise. Thousands of Sadequain’s calligraphies and dozens of his humongous calligraphic murals, which he claimed would stretch for miles if strung side-by-side, and if spread around they would cover several acres, now lay dormant at institutions or private residences. Scores of them have disappeared under dubious conditions, leaving no trace behind, and yet no official authority has registered a complaint or conducted an enquiry. The individual sections of this book illuminate various aspects of Sadequain’s life and work. The section titled “Renaissance of Calligraphic Art” presents a historic perspective of Sadequain’s contributions to the calligraphic art in Pakistan, and establishes him as the pioneer of this art form, which can justifiably be called the pride of Islam. The sections called “The Legend” and “Legendary Work” record the sequence of events that led Sadequain on his historic journey to the revival of the calligraphic art in Pakistan and identify several examples of his legendary work. Much has been said and written about Sadequain in the past. However, not much literature can be found about what Sadequain said about himself. It would only be fair to hear him out — how he explained his work in his own words. The section “Sadequain on Sadequain” is a verbatim quote of how Sadequain viewed his work.