S.H. Raza

Legendary artist S.H. Raza was a co-founder of the Bombay Progressive Artists Group along with fellow prominent artist F.N. Souza and K.H. Ara and runs synonym with Indian Modern Art. Born in 1922 in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, he studied at the J J School of Art and went to Paris for further education. Nature was a strong and consistent element in his paintings in a seven decades long career. His close association with nature started as a child in the days he spent in the forest and later evolved to a nostalgic reminiscent.

He spent seven years in Bombay before he left for France and worked at a block maker design studio at downtown, overlooking one of the busiest streets in the city. This inspired him to paint his early watercolours in an expressionist style leading to his first solo show at the Bombay Art Society Salon. He was a master artist of landscapes and townscapes painted in vivid colours with a bird-eyes point of view. There was great intensity and passion reflecting the atmosphere of the environment. The blend of European realism and Indian palette was apparent in these formative paintings that gives us a glimpse of post-independent Bombay.

As a member of the BPAG, they sought to break away from European realism and create a more Indian way of spiritual introspection in art. This was achieved by Raza with an inclination towards abstractionism and his unwavering sense of colour. The assault of colours influenced from miniature traditions heightened the emotional charge. He retained this feature as his style evolved in France over the years. Strongly influenced by Cubism, his landscapes reflected that sense of order and form in structure. In the 1960 he moved onto a more fluid style with a strong and rich toned palette transcending to a metaphysical level and returned with a focus on pure geometric patterns in the 1970. The artistic exploration of Raza was tremendous during his lifetime. The iconic Bindu came into formation in the 1980 which the artist summed up as the seed that contains all life. It was borne out of his desire to get out of plastic art and one that brought out a deeper philosophy rooted in ancient Indian culture.