ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the short history of contemporary Pakistani art, sketchbooks have been a fertile ground for artistic exploration. Contemporary Pakistani Masters such as Sadequain, Ali Imam, Gulgee, Bashir Mirza, Jamil Naqsh and Zahoor ul Akhlaq, have all had explored drawing and kept sketchbooks. Sadequain and Gulgee flaunted their drawing and calligraphic skills in public, however, the sketchbooks of such masters were seldom exhibited. The eminent Pakistani art historian and critic Marjorie Husain added to this short list with the exhibition of Jamil Naqsh's sketches at the Momart gallery in 1995 in Karachi. Since the Pakistani art scene is strongly rooted in traditions such as Persian and Mughal miniature painting, or the Bengal school, there is a tendency to judge artists by their command over drawing skills vis-a-vis realistic rendition. For artists such as Anwar Saeed, the hidden sketchbook pages are sites of transgression that allow him to be free from social and religious backlash and political correctness.
