
Oliver White
Head of Department
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Head of Department

Group Head

Provenance: Private Collection, Pakistan; previously in the collection of Abu Shamim Arif.
Published:
Abdul Hamid Akhund et all, Sadequain: The Holy Sinner, Mohatta Palace Museum, Karachi, 2002, pg. 299, plate 151, titled Imagination, 1968.
During the later months of 1968, Sadequain was working on a collection of calligraphy based on the poetry of Mirza Ghalib. Sadequain admired Ghalib greatly and used his poetry frequently as themes throughout his paintings. One of Ghalib's quotes which seems to have stuck with Sadequain is, "The prison of life and the bondage of grief are one and the same, Before the onset of death, how can man expect to be free of grief?"
In particular, this painting identifies with the "bondage of grief" which Ghalib speaks of. Palpable in the present in this work in part to the somber palate, Sadequain illustrates mournful forms as if draped over the viewer. "Imagination" is the self portrait of Sadequain untied with the earth along with a reflection upon his time in Paris and Gadani. During his time in both places, which are vastly different, the artist learnt more about himself, allowing his perspective on art and self to change dramatically.