KARACHI: It’s not easy to say whether Sadequain would have approved the doodle that Google came up with on Friday to pay tribute to him. But what can be said with certainty is that it was a pleasant gesture on Google’s part to do so on his 87th birthday.

Sadequain (1930-1987), arguably Pakistan’s greatest artist, is one of those painters, if not the first one, who put Pakistani art on the global map when the country was barely two decades old.

Art critics and commentators have used many epithets to describe his genius, and many have claimed close associations with him. All of them could be right, all of them could be wrong.

The fact of the matter is that as far as Pakistani art is concerned, he was unique in his approach as an art practitioner. He didn’t have much time to mingle with the well-heeled. He was nothing but an artist. He never craved luxury — the only luxury he hankered after was the luxury of creating art.

His lines, strokes and colours, like his personality, had what is often referred to for the poet’s eye as ‘a fine frenzy’. After all, he was a poet of high merit as well, a ruba’i writer, and to pen a ruba’i, one needs to have an impeccable sense of rhythm.

His paintings, murals and works of calligraphy had exactly that — innate rhythm. His visual interpretations of Ghalib’s and Iqbal’s verses move with the beat of the verses’ prosodic progression. Even when Sarmad is walking up the stairs with his severed head in his own hand has a tempo to it.

So what does Sadequain’s doodle do to the world of art? First and foremost, it introduces the artist to a much larger audience. The internet takes you places that you haven’t even imagined about.

Google once paid a similar tribute to the brilliant Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. But music is a genre which is easier to transport to other regions of the world, because you can instantly listen to it. Art is a different kettle of fish. It’s a visual medium that requires certain proximity in order for it to be felt, and understood.

Sadequain’s doodle will develop an urge among many art lovers all across the globe — who aren’t familiar with Pakistani art — to know about him, and, more importantly, his work. It’s about time.

Talking to Dawn, art critic Marjorie Husain said: “It’s wonderful that Google has done this. People have short memory. Although they’re aware of him, they don’t remember him the way they should. By any standard, he was a genius.”

Artist Tanweer Farooqi expressed pride over the doodle. He was of the view that the more Pakistani painters get recognised on global platforms, the better it will be as international appreciation will open doors to exposure for other artists.

“Sadequain was one of a kind. Paying tribute to him means Pakistan’s soft image is being projected. This will also help Pakistani art to flourish on an international scale,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2017