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Lot Essay
"In terms of painting, immense possibilities seemed to open, based on elementary geometric forms: the point, the circle, vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines, the triangles and the square." (Artist statement, G. Sen, Bindu: Space and Time in Raza's Vision, New Delhi, 1997, p. 126)
Bija, painted in 1992, demonstrates the seismic shift from Syed Haider Raza's expressionist to geometric style. Though in a strictly formal sense this work bears some resemblance to the Abstract Expressionist paintings of Frank Stella, while Stella was part of a theoretical exploration of the Formalist movement, Raza's work addresses a more spiritual context. The circle becomes less of a graphical component and more of a central point representing concentrated energy. This element manifests itself in various forms throughout Raza's more recent works and is variously interpreted as a beginning, a zero point. Bija, meaning seed, represents the cosmic egg or primordial seed of nothingness from which, in Hindu mythology, all creation is born. It becomes the principle around which the artist structures his canvases, and this compositional foundation is similarly derived from meditative aids such as yantras and mandalas.
Though his works from the 1980s and 90s are far from representational, the concept of nature remains pervasive and integral to their composition. According to Raza, his works from this period are essentially the "[...] result of two parallel enquiries. Firstly, it is aimed at pure plastic order. Secondly, it concerns nature. Both have converged into a single point, the bindu, symbolises the seed, bearing the potential for all life. It is also a visible form containing all the requisites of line, tone, colour, texture and space." (Artist statement, Artists Today: East West Visual Encounter, Bombay, 1985, p. 18)
Adopting a codified and symbolic language, Raza uses powerful visceral geometric shapes and colours to represent different aspects of the natural world. Raza’s use of this sacred geometry cracks wide open the interpretive space of the image; neither specific to a religion, nor bound to a geography, these forms are elemental, primordial and eternal.
Bija, painted in 1992, demonstrates the seismic shift from Syed Haider Raza's expressionist to geometric style. Though in a strictly formal sense this work bears some resemblance to the Abstract Expressionist paintings of Frank Stella, while Stella was part of a theoretical exploration of the Formalist movement, Raza's work addresses a more spiritual context. The circle becomes less of a graphical component and more of a central point representing concentrated energy. This element manifests itself in various forms throughout Raza's more recent works and is variously interpreted as a beginning, a zero point. Bija, meaning seed, represents the cosmic egg or primordial seed of nothingness from which, in Hindu mythology, all creation is born. It becomes the principle around which the artist structures his canvases, and this compositional foundation is similarly derived from meditative aids such as yantras and mandalas.
Though his works from the 1980s and 90s are far from representational, the concept of nature remains pervasive and integral to their composition. According to Raza, his works from this period are essentially the "[...] result of two parallel enquiries. Firstly, it is aimed at pure plastic order. Secondly, it concerns nature. Both have converged into a single point, the bindu, symbolises the seed, bearing the potential for all life. It is also a visible form containing all the requisites of line, tone, colour, texture and space." (Artist statement, Artists Today: East West Visual Encounter, Bombay, 1985, p. 18)
Adopting a codified and symbolic language, Raza uses powerful visceral geometric shapes and colours to represent different aspects of the natural world. Raza’s use of this sacred geometry cracks wide open the interpretive space of the image; neither specific to a religion, nor bound to a geography, these forms are elemental, primordial and eternal.