Sayed Haider Raza was an Indian painter who lived and worked in France for most of his career. Raza was an acclaimed for his art both there and in France. Raza, who creates expressionist landscapes, began painting landscapes of the mind after the first years of his career. In 1947, he co-founded the revolutionary Bombay Progressive Artists' Group along with K. H. Ara and F. N. Souza. This group set out to break free from the influences of European realism in Indian art and bring Indian inner vision (Antar gyan) into the art. A revolutionary amount of art was created by the people in this group from 1940 to 1990. After losing his mother and father and being separated from his siblings, Raza first moved to Pakistan and then to France. This happened when many important collectors purchased his works. He used gem-like watercolors by rubbing the pigment with a shell.
He tried the movements of Western Modernism in France. He moved away from expressionist styles towards greater abstraction, eventually incorporating elements of Tantrism from Indian scriptures into his work. By the 1970s, like every genius artist, Raza was starting to get bored with his own work. His trips to India, especially to caves of Ajanta - Ellora, followed by those to Varanasi, Gujarat and Rajasthan, made him realize his role and study Indian culture more closely, the result was "Bindu", which signified his rebirth as a painter. One of the reasons he attributes to the origin of the "Bindu", have been his elementary school teacher, who on finding him lacking adequate concentration, drew a dot on the blackboard and asked him to concentrate on it. The "Bindu" is related to Indian philosophy of being the point of all creation. The reason this interested Raza so much is because he was looking for new inspiration for his art and this created a new point of creation for himself. After the introduction of "BUNDU" (a point or the source of energy), he added newer dimensions to his thematic oeuvre in the following decades, with the inclusion of themes around the Tribhuj (Triangle), which bolstered Indian concepts of space and time, as well as that of "prakriti-purusha" (the cosmic substance and the energy or the spirit respectively), his transformation from an expressionist to a master of abstraction and profundity, was complete. His multiple works of art with the bindu is what truly tied him to his Indian roots and culture. This art created a sense of pride for his culture.
"My work is my own inner experience and involvement with the mysteries of nature and form which is expressed in colour, line, space and light".
- S. H. Raza
SH Raza traveled to India every year during his time in France, effectively combining both continents and refusing to be tied to either. He “lived with a dual belonging, and a dual consciousness,” said Roobina Karode, , director and chief curator.
Historical sources like to talk about the Western side of art, but European modernism was greatly influenced by Eastern philosophies. Raza have been widely appreciated for their bold colors and profound symbolism that is deeply rooted in Indian culture. He experimented with evocative gestural strokes, colorful and with a strong emotional appeal. His paintings, with their mellifluous colours, resonate with a certain passionate intensity. The most incredible aspect of Raza’s life, was the amazing faith he has in his work. His favourite quote, ‘Maano to Shankar, na maano to kankar’, means ‘to one who has faith, a stone can represent God and to one who doesn’t, it is but a stone.’
This faith, grounded in his strong ties with India is perhaps why he returned to his motherland after all his years in France. Even in his 90’s, when he was residing in New Delhi, S.H. Raza painted every day, creating timeless pieces of art that reverberate with his spirituality and enigmatic quest for meaning. S.H. Raza left us for heavenly abode on July 23, 2016.