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82

Saffronart | Evening Sale

“My attempt is to create an art which goes beyond time and place.”

SYED HAIDER RAZA

83

IN MEMORIAM

SYED HAIDER RAZA

22 FEBRUARY 1922 ‒ 23 JULY 2016

S H Raza was, like his beloved motif of

the Bindu, a vibrant and essential part of

modern art in India. A founding member

of the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group,

he redefined the notion of Modernism

with his deeply spiritual and intellectual

quest for artistic expression. In his

formative years, Raza painted landscapes

and cityscapes, influenced by his time in

France. Frequent visits to India drew him

to the forests of his childhood in Madhya

Pradesh, and the vibrant colours of

Rajasthan, both of which he transformed

onto his canvases in the form of gestural

abstraction.

In the 1970s, Raza changed direction

to focus on purely geometric forms,

symbolising myriad aspects of Hindu

philosophy. Crucial to thesemetaphysical

paintings was the recurring Bindu ‒ the

seed from which all life forms emerge.

For Raza, the act of painting itself was a

meditative experience, and spirituality

was always at the core of his paintings.

S H Raza in his studio

Image courtesy of Vadehra Art Gallery