Sadequain's Calligraphic Renaissance in Pakistan

Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi (1923 - 1987), known as Sadequain, calligraphic surah on boards, watercolour, signed at lower left, 60 x 136 cm. Surah Al-Ikhlas: 'God is one, no one is his equal'. Sadequain was responsible for the renaissance of Islamic calligraphy in Pakistan. He was one of the greatest calligraphers of Pakistan and helped transform the art of calligraphy into serious expressionist paintings. He claimed that his transformation into a calligrapher was manifested by divine inspiration. He did not follow the established tradition and created his own style of script. His alphabets exude motion, mood, and paint vivid pictures of the message of the words of Quran. In Pakistan, the art of calligraphy was relegated to a second-class status until Sadequain adapted this medium in the late 1960s. Until then a few painters experimented with the medium but it remained just that, an experiment. After Sadequain transformed the art of calligraphy into a mainstream art form, most of the known Pakistani artists have followed Sadequain and calligraphic art now dominates the art scene. [Wikipedia].