Google honours Sadequain on 87th birthday with doodle

[Arsalan]

Islamic calligrapher and one of Pakistan’s most popular and prolific artists Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi, commonly knows as Sadequain, has been honored by Google on his 87th birthday with a doodle.Google said they are honoring “his contributions to the arts and to public space.” Sadequain was born in June 30, 1923 in British India and passed away on February 10, 1987 in Karachi.

He “stroked new life into the centuries-old art of Islamic calligraphy, turning words into vibrantly detailed expressionist paintings”, according to Google. He painted vast murals and even wrote powerful poetry. Despite his talent, Sadequain rejected material wealth and “was known to give his paintings away for free, even refusing to take on commissions from royalty and heads of state around the world.”

Many of Sadequain’s prolific works still adorn walls of public buildings in Pakistan and India. These include ‘Quest for Knowledge’ on the ceiling of Lahore Museum and his mural on the ceiling of Frere Hall in Karachi. Work on the latter started in 1986 and was left incomplete on February 10, 1987 because of his death.

Mural in Frere Hall - Karachi

Quest for knowledge by Sadequain- Lahore Museum

Sadequain received national awards, including the Presidential Medal of Honour. International art circles also recognised his work and in 1960 he received the Paris Biennale Prize.