Sadequain

Collection of M.A. Khan (acquired directly from the artist)
Private Collection, London (acquired directly from the above by the present owner)

Dr. Salman Ahmad, The Legend of Sadequain: Renaissance of Calligraphic Art in Pakistan, La Mesa 2010, p. 10, illustrated in colour

Condition: This work is in good condition. There is very minor craquelure throughout and rubbing marks around the edges. There is minor restoration done along four vertical lines from left hand to right hand, only visible under close inspection with an ultraviolet light.
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inscription:

Qur'an, surah al-rahman (LV), verse 19

'He has made the two seas to flow freely (so that) they meet together,
Between them is a barrier which they cannot pass.'

A master of calligraphy, Sadequain fast became one of Pakistan's most celebrated artists. This outstanding example of his work illustrates his radical departure from established calligraphic norms.

Devoting the majority of his life to the art of the pen, Sadequain's unabashed departure from calligraphic tradition and the generosity with which he distributed his works, led to his name being synonymous with calligraphy in Pakistan and the Middle East. He was a legend in his own time and is single-handedly responsible for the renaissance of Pakistani calligraphy.

Searching for a new manner of expression, Sadequain was the first, and ultimately the most famous Pakistani to use calligraphy for both religious and artistic purposes. In a short period of time, he had made a huge impact on the calligraphic world and ushered in what has been described as a calligraphic revolution. Inspiring a generation of calligraphers by encouraging experimentation and innovation, in what had arguably become a stagnant art form.

In this exquisite work, the calligraphy and its aesthetic dominate the image, conveying the essential meaning of the script without requiring translation. Even for those who cannot comprehend the inscription, the power and majesty of the words is evident. Sadequain focused on preserving the mystical power of the letter and the concepts behind the word, through visual representation.

Sadequain painted this work in 1985 as part of a series in which he separated the individual refrains of Surah al-Rahman which he began in 1969. This particular painting is by far the most moving, and evokes the calm serenity of the sea. Surah al-Rahman, The Beneficent, is the fifty-fifth surah of the Qur'an and is often described as 'the beauty' of the Qur'an.

Here the artist chooses to illustrate verses nineteen and twenty, separating the two seas of dark blue and dusty green with a forbidding barrier in white script framed in black, the calligraphy itself forms the "barrier which they cannot pass". Inspired by the medieval Islamic script thuluth, Sadequain elongates the letters generally used in bold inscriptions on facades of religious buildings, or in large copies of the Qur'an visually, calligraphically and conceptually linking this work to its spiritual inspiration.

To this day Sadequain is highly respected for his skill, the way in which he enriched dry traditional forms with a lyricism and artistry that is second to none and his influence on the generations of artists that followed his calling.