Aarambh by S H Raza
March 7 – March 28, 2015 at Akar Prakar, Kolkata
After his return to India, his home country after spending 60 years in France, the master painter Raza has been living in Delhi and painting.
The fact that he would be turning 93 years of age does not in any way diminish or slow down his zest both for living and painting. He lives, now as even before, to paint. His vast repertoire of creative energy, visual passion and spiritual yearnings remains rich and alive. His imagination dares to explore new visual ideas creating a language which is fresh and yet resonates with intense memories.
‘Aarambh’ is a selection of his new works done in 2014-15 and yet again confirms his masterly presence on the contemporary art scene. An art luminous with passion and vision- skilful and daring in its imagination.
Sanjiv Kumar
SH Raza | Uttarottar | Acrylic on canvas | 47 x 24 in | 2014
SH Raza | Vividha | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 12 in | 2016
SH Raza | Kendra | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 24 in | 2014
SH Raza | Avataran | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 12 in | 2014
SH Raza | Akar Prakar | Acrylic on canvas | 40 x 40 in | 2015
SH Raza | Neel Bindu | Acrylic on canvas | 12 x 12 in | 2014
SH Raza | Chaturdik | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 24 in | 2014
SH Raza | Purush Prakriti | Acrylic on canvas | 16 x 16 in | 2014
SH Raza | Anadi | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 24 in | 2014
SH Raza | Aavarta | Acrylic on canvas | 16 x 16 in | 2014
SH Raza | Samavesh | Acrylic on canvas | 47 x 47 in | 2014
SH Raza | Valentine | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 24 in | 2015
SH Raza | Bindu Shrinkhala | Acrylic on canvas | 16 x 16 in | 2014
SH Raza | Tiryak | Acrylic on canvas | 59 x 12 in | 2014
SH Raza | Vriksha | Acrylic on canvas | 16 x 16 in | 2015
SH Raza | Laya | Acrylic on canvas | 16 x 16 in | 2015
SH Raza | Aarambh | Print on paper | 22.5 x 19 in | 2014
SH Raza | Aarambh | Print on canvas | 47 x 40 in | 2014
SH Raza | Vriksha | Acrylic on canvas | 16 x 16 in | 2013
SH Raza | Rangkshiti | Acrylic on canvas | 24 x 12 in | 2013
SH Raza | Aarambh | Acrylic on canvas | 40 x 79 in | 2013
SH Raza | Aalok | Acrylic on canvas | 47 x 47 in | 2013
About S H Raza
Sayed Haider Raza (22nd February 1922- 23rd July 2016):
Sayed Haider Raza was born in 1922 in Madhya Pradesh and studied painting at the Nagpur School of Art and the Sir J.J.School of Art. After receiving a French government scholarship in 1950 he left for Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts, Paris. Raza was awarded the Prix de la Critique in Paris in 1956. In 1962 he served as a visiting lecturer at the University of California in Berkeley, USA. Raza was one of the founders of the Progressive Artists’ Group, along with K.H. Ara and F.N. Souza. He has participated in numerous exhibitions, including the Sao Paulo Biennale in 1958, the Biennale de Menton, in France in 1966, 1968 and in 1978, and Contemporary Indian Painting, at the Royal Academy in London, in 1982.
In December 1978 the Madhya Pradesh Government invited him to his native state for homage and an exhibition of his work in Bhopal. He was elected Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1983. In 1997 Raza was awarded the Madhya Pradesh Government’s prestigious Kalidas Samman.
He was conferred the Padma Shree Award by the President of India in 1981, the Padma Bhushan in 2007 and Padma Vibhushan in 2013.