DHA Senior Schools Art Class 9 Resource Part (1) Week 3 (Monday 20 Apr to Friday 24 Apr 2020) Topic: Master painters of Pakistan_(Sadequain as a Painter) SADEQUAIIN AS A PAINTER INTRODUCTION: Following are the names of Master Painters of Pakistan:  Sadequain  Shakir ali  Abdur rehman chughtai  Anna molka ahmed  Ustad allah bakhsh  Haji mohammad sharif  Zahoor ul akhlaq SADEQUAIN AS AN ARTIST (1930 ___1987)  Sadequain was one of the most prolific and versatile Artist in Pakistan  He was known for his skills as a Painter and as a Calligrapher  He belonged to a family of Calligraphers  He was an excellent poet and he composed thousands of quatrains ( Rubaiyas) and published them in 4 volumes.  He was considered as the greatest modern day poet of his time  His work ranges from his poetry, paintings and calligraphic mural paintings.  Sadequain was a social commentator.  The main theme of his art works was human nature, human struggle and weaknesses of society. SADEQUAIN AS A PAINTER  Sadequain painted in Indo Persian style.  He used powerful symbols in his paintings  The most prominent symbol in his paintings was the cactus plant.  The cactus in Sadequain’s paintings has two meanings:(a) human struggle against all natural difficulties and the ultimate victory over them.(b)The ugly , hairy and thorny form was used by Sadequain to show the moral decay and corruption.  He painted many series of paintings, for example: Cactus series, Cobweb series, Crow and scare crow series, Sun series and crucifixion series. MAIN FEATURES OF SADEQUAIN’S PAINTINGS STYLE  Sadequain had a very strong Line work and he made human figures and objects with great skill.  In the beginning of his career he painted realistic paintings and figures, still life paintings and portraits.  He was greatly influenced by cactus plant. This plant survives in the harsh desert environment and is full of life, it always points upwards. Sadequain painted this imagery extensively in his paintings  He merged cactus plant with human figures.  He used light and dark colors with great skill.  The main subject of his paintings was human struggle to win over the forces of evil, human strength and creative energy.  He painted and illustrated the poetry of Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. PAINTING SERIES  Cactus series: He used cactus as a symbol in his paintings and he merged cactus plant with human figures in his paintings.  Sun series: He used sun as a symbol of heat, light and energy .The important feature of these paintings is the use of light and dark shades. In this series he shows that light defines darkness as darkness cannot exist without light.  Cobweb series: He shows cobwebs engulfing the society. The symbol of cobweb shows problems in the society. The society is paralyzed by cobwebs and spirit of humanity is broken down.  The crow & scarecrow series: This series reinforces the message of cobweb series .In this series he shows men & women, who are in active and the crow starts nesting & laying eggs over their heads. Humans are shown as hollow souls and they are not able to scare anyone.  Crucifixion series: This series depicts Christ in the cross, taking his last breath, but still barely alive to see the crimes of dark forces in the society. He symbolized and painted the downfall of human society. MURAL PAINTINGS  Mural paintings are wall paintings and Sadequain used this art form to paint huge murals or wall paintings to show human struggle to win over the forces of evil, human strength and creative energy.  He painted huge Mural paintings in public buildings at no cost He declared these paintings as gifts to the citizens of the city.  He painted more than 35 mural paintings in different buildings such as State bank, Lahore museum and Punjab University, Jinnah hospital, PIA Headquarters and Mangla dam. Sadequain was the pioneer of public mural making Art in Pakistan.  Some examples of his mural paintings include: Treasures of time (State Bank of Pak.), Evolution of mankind (Lahore Museum), Quest of knowledge (Punjab University), Saga of labor ( Mangla Dam) and Arz o samawat ( Frere Hall Karachi).  The mural “Arz o samawat” is of great importance as it was the last mural painting by Sadequain. He died before he could complete it.  He painted with great energy and speed. His mural paintings depicted ordinary people through symbols .His characters can be identified by their trades because they are shown working with the instruments and tools of their professions .He painted these murals to educate and inspire people .He developed a sense of identity and pride in the members of the community. CONTRIBUTIONS OF SADEQUAIN AS A PAINTER  Sadequain contributed a lot in the field of Art. He was an excellent Poet, Painter and Calligrapher.  Sadequain painted thousands of paintings, drawings, Mural paintings and Calligraphic paintings in his life time.  He hardly ever sold his work and mostly gave it away. He was a social commentator and he was a pioneer of public mural making art in Pakistan. He was first artist to paint huge calligraphic mural paintings in public buildings.  Sadequain painted more than 15000 pieces of Art.  He represented Pakistan on an International level by showing his work in London, New York, Australia, India, Romania and Russia.  Sadequain was a self made and self taught painter and Calligrapher. Sadequain’s true talent as an artist was discovered by Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy .  He was awarded Sitara e Imtiaz and President’s Medal of Honor for his contributions in the field of Art in Pakistan .He won many International awards and prizes such as Australian Cultural award, Laureate de Paris and Gold Mercury award. CONCLUSION  Sadequain contributed a lot in the field of Art. He was an excellent Poet, Painter and Calligrapher. Sadequain painted more than 15000 pieces of Art.  He represented Pakistan on an International level by showing his work in London, New York, Australia, India, Romania and Russia.  He was awarded many National and International Awards for his contributions in the field of Painting.  The main subject of his paintings was human struggle to win over the forces of evil, human strength and creative energy. He used cactus plan as a symbol in his paintings and he was pioneer of public mural painting art in Pakistan.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) 1. Which artist was known for his skills as a calligrapher and a painter? (a) ShakirAli (b) Sadequain (c) Zahoor ul Akhlaq (d) A.R Chughtai 2. Sadequain’s true talent as an artist was discovered by whom? (a) AR Chughtai (b) Shakir Ali (c) Ustad Allah Bakhsh (d)Hussain Shaheed Suhrarwardy 3. Sadequain painted in ______tradition. (a) Indo Persian (b) Indo Greek (c) Indo Turkic (d) Indo Bangali 4. Which artist was a social commentator? (a) AR Chughtai (b) Zahoor ul Akhlaq (c) Sadequain (d) Shakir Ali 5. Sadequain was considered as the greatest modern day ______of his time. (a) Poet (b) Artist (c) Sculptor (d) Ceramist 6. Sadequain used ______as a symbol in his paintings. (a)Sunflower plant (b) Rose plant (c) Cactus plant (d) Lotus plant 7. Which artist painted and illustrated the poetry of Ghalib, Faiz and Iqbal? (a) Sadequain (b) Shakir Ali (c) AR Chughtai (d) Zahoor ul Akhlaq 8. Sadequain painted more than ______pieces of Art. (a)12000 (b)15000 (c)17000 (d)16000 9. Which artist was the pioneer of Public Mural Art in Pakistan? (a) Shakir Ali (b) ARChughtai (c) Sadequain (d) Zahoor ul Akhlaq 10. Sadequain’s last Mural Painting was tiltled______(a)Arzo Samawat (b)Quest of knowledge (c)Saga of Labor (d)Evolution of mankind