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Lot Essay
“[…] my paintings from the 1970s are more gestural in technique and expression. In terms of colour too, they are expressionistic. The spontaneity was new and compulsive – I let the canvas grow […]” (Artist Statement, G. Sen, Bindu, Space and Time in Raza’s Vision, New Delhi, 1997, p. 59)
This painting is a lavish evocation of colour and mood and yet an important historical work demonstrating a major transition in Raza's style while foretelling the future direction of his work. All recognisable elements of the landscape present in Raza's earlier works have disappeared. The emphasis has shifted to colour and brushstroke which are relied upon to create and communicate a certain experience in the painting. The reason for this shift can be attributed in part to Raza's interaction with Abstract Expressionists during his trip to the United States, while teaching at the University of California, Berkeley in the 1960s. The painting still maintains strong Indian references in its palette, while its structure is strongly influenced by the demarcations seen in Rajasthani miniatures.
In Feuillaison, which translates into English as ‘leafing’, the artist presents the creation of flowering in plants. Here, Raza’s canvas blossoms into a rich density and strong sensory life of the deep, warm embrace of nature. He begins to experiment with a less structured pictorial space and explores the translucent play of colour in nature with light. Shades of orange, green and red suggest a landscape with foliage while a few breaks give way to the yellows and blues of the sky. The imposing composition and painterly bravura of this painting beautifully come together to lend an overall luminous and weightless atmosphere.
This painting is a lavish evocation of colour and mood and yet an important historical work demonstrating a major transition in Raza's style while foretelling the future direction of his work. All recognisable elements of the landscape present in Raza's earlier works have disappeared. The emphasis has shifted to colour and brushstroke which are relied upon to create and communicate a certain experience in the painting. The reason for this shift can be attributed in part to Raza's interaction with Abstract Expressionists during his trip to the United States, while teaching at the University of California, Berkeley in the 1960s. The painting still maintains strong Indian references in its palette, while its structure is strongly influenced by the demarcations seen in Rajasthani miniatures.
In Feuillaison, which translates into English as ‘leafing’, the artist presents the creation of flowering in plants. Here, Raza’s canvas blossoms into a rich density and strong sensory life of the deep, warm embrace of nature. He begins to experiment with a less structured pictorial space and explores the translucent play of colour in nature with light. Shades of orange, green and red suggest a landscape with foliage while a few breaks give way to the yellows and blues of the sky. The imposing composition and painterly bravura of this painting beautifully come together to lend an overall luminous and weightless atmosphere.