S H Raza celebrates 91st birthday with a brand new solo show

After over 60 years spent in France, modernist painter S H Raza is celebrating his return home to India in grand style with an exhibition of brand new paintings which delves deeper into the master's preoccupation with Indian spiritual philosophy.

At 91 years, Raza, one of the oldest surviving members of the Progressive Artists Group, which gave shape to the Modern Art in India, has unveiled a set of 25 new works executed by the artist after his return to India in 2010.

"I  want people to know what the heck have I been doing for all these years. Nobody has seen what I have been doing for the last 20 to 30 years," Raza told PTI in an interview.

His exhibition titled "Antardhwani" opened today at Vadehra Art Gallery here. Also two books — "My Dear" and "Understanding Raza" have been brought out to mark the occasion.

Ask him about the status of Indian art worldwide and the master painter says the future is bright for the country's artists.

"Exhibitions of my paintings are all frequently held all over the world. Why do my paintings appeal to people in Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, US etc? It has got to do with the beauty of Indian culture," says Raza who paints every single day.

The veteran artist emphasise the need for artists to articulate their works.
"Apart from being able to paint the artist should also know how to talk about his art. It is the duty of the artist to explain to society not only the theme of the story but also the philosophy behind it, " says Raza.

Talking about the late artist M F Husain, who died in London in 2011 Raza says, "Artists like M F Husain  and Souza used to paint with simplicity but Husain was forced to spend his life outside the country. Likewise other artists have also spent time outside in exile. The essential thing is to find out what is the essence in the paintings of an artist what is he driving at."

Raza also points out there is a lot of good art emerging from the country. "Controversies don't bother me. I am interested in what new is happening in the world of painting and art and not somebody who is doing nude art. Nowadays there are lot of artists who are doing superficial work. There are even copies of my art being made. I frequently meet people who want to authenticate my previous works but some of them are fake," says the artist.

On the entrance wall to the space in the gallery which is showing his works is a signed note that the artist has written in his handwriting.

"I am amazed that all this could be done in a lifetime. Indeed it is grace of God and the result of my serious concern of the traditions of the Indian culture," it says.