SADEQUAIN's 94th birth anniversary
Neglected in his own hometown of Karachi due to the corrupt antics of the Pakistan Art Mafia, SADEQUAIN's 94th birth anniversary was celebrated by Pakistan Consulate in Milan Italy, Milan City Government, and SADEQUAIN Foundation on July 5-7 2024. An e-mail message says :
Art and culture are the identity of a nation. By all measures, Sadequain was the finest ambassador of the nation’s identity.
Sadequain was a polymath, a confluence of Picasso, Michelangelo, Omar Khayyam, and calligrapher Yakoot. Likes of him are not born for centuries. His work was unique like none other, innovative, and by all measures, difficult to duplicate.
In his lifetime Sadequain’s talent was recognized and acknowledged on all 5 continents. Not many Pakistanis can make this claim. French newspaper Le Monde quoted “Sadequain’s multiplicity is reminiscent of Picasso.” UAE newspaper Khaleej Times declared him responsible for the “renaissance of calligraphic art.”
Sadequain is perhaps the only individual who was recognized by the Pakistan government by establishing three institutions in his name, namely Galerie SADEQUAIN in Karachi, Galerie SADEQUAIN in Lahore, and Galerie SADEQUAIN in Islamabad. Not many Pakistanis can make this claim.
Sadequain is also the only Pakistani who has been awarded all 4 awards in the field of arts namely, Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, and Pride of Performance by the government of Pakistan.
It is common knowledge that with a few exceptions of large commissioned artworks such as the gigantic mural at the Mangla Dam titled The Saga of Labor which was paid by the World Bank, Sadequain never sold his artworks. He gave them away to individuals and institutions with no strings attached. Sadequain’s artworks were worth more than thousand words and valued at more than a billion U$ dollars. It will not be an exaggeration to say that he gave more to the nation than any other man or woman. But he died penniless by his own choice.
Even a brief look at Sadequain’s palette speaks volumes of his monumental talent and touches our soul.
Sadequain’s compositions, whether simple or complex, perform magically with the complexity of a well-orchestrated symphony; they represent poetry of color, a harmony of rhythm, and the power of a tempest.
Sadequain’s paintings classified as modern art, mirror his own words when 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.”
Sadequain believed that renouncing seduction and eschewing the allurement of material entrapments could help levitate mankind to an exalted state. His wide array of paintings constitutes a singularly unique achievement by an artist at the highest level.
The sumptuous collection of his artworks represents Sadequain’s perceptions, in which he draws inspiration from the ancient wisdom of Sufi traditions, which for centuries have represented some of mankind’s purest instincts. As archetypal expressions of mystic vision, his imagery transcends our latent susceptibilities. They hold a beacon to the path of enlightenment, guide through the gateway of spiritual freedom, and provide a conduit to transpersonal truth. |
