Important Notice

The present lot belongs to a decade in S H Raza's oeuvre when the artist continued to explore geometric forms and the motif of the bindu in his paintings-a preoccupation that began in the late 1970s, marking a significant shift in his style. The central black circle or bindu is a metaphor for the origin of all life in Hindu philosophy, from which "a whole series of different climates of thought can be created," in addition to... The present lot belongs to a decade in S H Raza's oeuvre when the artist continued to explore geometric forms and the motif of the bindu in his paintings-a preoccupation that began in the late 1970s, marking a significant shift in his style. The central black circle or bindu is a metaphor for the origin of all life in Hindu philosophy, from which "a whole series of different climates of thought can be created," in addition to representing concepts like unity, completeness and infinity. The present lot, titled Gestation, was painted in 1989-a period considered the zenith of his career-and represents a return to his Indian roots after decades spent in France.

Born in 1922, Raza spent his childhood in the Mandala district of Madhya Pradesh surrounded by dark forests and lush landscapes. This early experience of nature became a lifelong source of inspiration for Raza, and he would revisit these memories on canvas years later. His love of art brought him to Bombay where he enrolled at the Sir J J School of Arts, earning his diploma in 1947. At the same time, he worked at a blockmaker's design studio in downtown Bombay, which overlooked one of the busiest streets in the city. His watercolour cityscapes from this vantage point attracted the attention of fellow artists F N Souza and M F Husain-with whom he co-founded the Progressive Artists' Group-and critics such as Rudy von Leyden, Walter Langhammer and Emmanuel Schlesinger-whose presence, patronage and influence was crucial in the burgeoning art world of then Bombay.

In 1948, Raza met the renowned French photographer Henri Cartier- Bresson, who advised him to study the works of Paul Cezanne to understand structure in painting. Raza then travelled to Paris on a government scholarship, and spent the next few years honing his craft at the Ecole de Paris. This move to France ushered in the next phase of Raza's career.

Raza's works from the 1950s demonstrate a Cubist approach, informed by a "sense of order and proportion in form and structure." (Artist quoted in Geeti Sen, Bindu: Space and Time in Raza's Vision, New Delhi: Media Transasia Ltd., 1997, p. 57) He exhibited in many group and solo shows in Paris, and his works sold and became part of important collections. Raza soon gained widespread recognition in Europe as well as India, and in 1956, he became the first non- French artist to win the Prix de la Critique award. He married the artist Janine Mongillat in 1959, and the couple visited India the same year for an exhibition of Raza's works organised by the artist and gallery owner Bal Chhabda at Gallery 59 in Mumbai. Following this show, Raza returned to India several times, travelling to his native village, which would inspire the bindu motif in later works such as the present lot. These visits to places new and old ushered in a phase that drew from the emotional content of his journeys. "Raza was getting himself away from the need to paint what he saw, he was drawn more to paint what he recalled... It was not romantic nostalgia but Raza was torn between two worlds: the tumultuous present, the tranquil past. Beauty and fear coming together again as in the beginning of his life." (Ashok Vajpeyi ed., A Life in Art: S H Raza, New Delhi: Art Alive Gallery, 2007, p. 80)

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Raza began to question the "Indianness" of his work. This period of travel and self-reflexivity ushered in a deeper engagement with forms, colours and philosophies rooted in his home country. Both forests and cities found expression in his fluid, abstract brushstrokes, and he gradually shifted from oil painting to using acrylic as his medium, as seen in the present lot. From the late 1970s, the recurring motif of the bindu started to appear in his paintings, introduced at first as an abstract "black sun." Eventually, his works began to emphasise structure and geometry, and Raza claimed to have been reborn as an artist. The circle, which has been revered in ancient cultures around the world, became a focal point of Raza's art, through which he explored concepts such as the infinite.

By the time he painted the present lot, Raza had completely departed from the unrestrained landscapes and gestural abstraction of his earlier work, and had turned towards spiritual concepts rooted in geometric forms. Through the repetition of shapes, forms and colours, Raza believed that "you gain energy and intensity, as is gained through the japmala, or the repetition of a word or a syllable until you achieve a state of elevated consciousness." (Sen, p. 128)

Using this new geometric vocabulary, Raza alluded to nature-which always remained an integral part of his work-as well as Indian philosophical, spiritual and cosmological concepts. For Raza, the bindu, which appears in his work ranging from a concentrated point to a large black orb, came to symbolise "...the seed, bearing the potential of all life, in a sense. It is also a visible form containing all the essential requisites of line, tone, colour, texture and space. The black space is charged with latent forces aspiring for fulfilment." (Sen, p. 134) At the same time, he retained the strong technique and plastic values that he had learned through his art education in France.

Through this monumental painting, Raza addresses his preoccupation with principles of pure geometry simultaneously with his passion for colour and symbolism, inviting the viewer into an intensely personal experience. "I have interpreted the universe in terms of five primary colours: black, white, red, blue and yellow. A total chromatic expression can be achieved by mixing primary colours with other secondary colours, such as greens, browns, and ochres. From there you can move to a great austerity of colours till you come to a supreme purity of form." (Artist quoted in Sen, p. 128)

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site