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Lot Essay
"Why do these circles, ovals and rectangles attract us? Why do they make us hold our breath and receive their vibrations? The reason is that something linked to the origin of life bubbles up in Raza's work. At first glance, these geometric compositions may appear to move away from the complexity of the real, and from the nuances, interruptions and surprises that the real holds. However, the compositions on Raza's canvases express the most exalting and enigmatic encounter extolled in cosmologies and sung by poets: the union of the feminine and the masculine" (A. Vajpayi, A Life in Art: S. H. Raza, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, 2007, p.132).
Syed Haider Raza, one of the most respected Modernists of India, is celebrated for his range of styles and the uniqueness of his vision. Having spent his early years in Paris, he rose to international acclaim as an exponent of the Ecole de Paris, His early forms reflect a mastery of abstraction relatable to that of Jasper Johns and Frank Stella. However, after years of travel, exploration, and experimentation, he returned to Indian visual idioms for inspiration in the late 1970s, culling from tantric imagery.
He looks to such forms as the bindu (seminal source of energy), beej (seed), and garbagraha (sanctum sanctorum or hallowed space) for inspiration. Furthermore, he ascribes color with symbolic meaning. The five elements of nature are pictured in the five colours of the square -- the panchatatva-- that circumscribe the bindu. The colours encase the bindu as a sanctum sanctorum, transforming it into a seed or wellspring of creation. Thus the dawn is represented through the confluence of natural forces around the generative seed.
Re-presenting Indic cosmograms in formal experiments that defy cultural and historical specificity, Raza transforms local visual traditions into universal yet deeply personal spiritual iconographies. "When I'm working, I retain what is essential, based on instinct and direct perception which goes beyond eclectic knowledge." (M. Imbert. Understanding Raza: Many Ways of Looking at a Master, New Delhi, 2013, p. 255)
Syed Haider Raza, one of the most respected Modernists of India, is celebrated for his range of styles and the uniqueness of his vision. Having spent his early years in Paris, he rose to international acclaim as an exponent of the Ecole de Paris, His early forms reflect a mastery of abstraction relatable to that of Jasper Johns and Frank Stella. However, after years of travel, exploration, and experimentation, he returned to Indian visual idioms for inspiration in the late 1970s, culling from tantric imagery.
He looks to such forms as the bindu (seminal source of energy), beej (seed), and garbagraha (sanctum sanctorum or hallowed space) for inspiration. Furthermore, he ascribes color with symbolic meaning. The five elements of nature are pictured in the five colours of the square -- the panchatatva-- that circumscribe the bindu. The colours encase the bindu as a sanctum sanctorum, transforming it into a seed or wellspring of creation. Thus the dawn is represented through the confluence of natural forces around the generative seed.
Re-presenting Indic cosmograms in formal experiments that defy cultural and historical specificity, Raza transforms local visual traditions into universal yet deeply personal spiritual iconographies. "When I'm working, I retain what is essential, based on instinct and direct perception which goes beyond eclectic knowledge." (M. Imbert. Understanding Raza: Many Ways of Looking at a Master, New Delhi, 2013, p. 255)