Untitled (Roots)

Name/Title

Untitled (Roots)

Entry/Object ID

2016.023

Collection

Hundal Collection

Made/Created

Artist

Anwar Jalal Shemza

Date made

1984

Time Period

20th Century

Dimensions

Height

13 in

Width

9-3/4 in

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

While the Roots series signify a longing for homeland, for Shemza it also demonstrates, his long attachment to the art of calligraphy. As one of the first artists to introduce calligraphy as an art to Pakistan, he freed script from its obligatory purpose as a sacred endeavor meant to make the content of the Quran available to those who could read Arabic. Breaking away from that tradition required taking a chance and forging a new era.