Page 24 - S.H. Raza || SOJOURN || The Arts Trust

The artist with his contemporaries,
entire canvas. Often surrounded by geometric patterns, display it. Raza fused geometry, symbolism, and intuition,
grids, or concentric circles, the bindu becomes the axis of and each shape had meaning; each colour was chosen with
the universe, not as myth but as visual truth. This symbolic an intention. It represented not only metaphysical truth
shift was accompanied by a renewed engagement with but also the point of personal awakening. This culmination
colour. In one of his interviews, Raza mentioned, “The was powerfully expressed in an acrylic on canvas titled
bindu came to me around 1978 to 1980 when I was touring Bindu from around 1985. At the centre of the work is a large
in Madhya Pradesh and looking for my art school teacher black circle, solid and commanding, set within a layered
Nandlal Jhariya. I went searching for the bindu he'd drawn square made up of bright, carefully balanced colours.
on the walls of our art school, but I found that, unfortunately, The simplicity of the forms immediately draws attention,
the wall had been whitewashed. Still, the image of his bindu but the longer you look, the more depth and meaning the
remained with me and found its way into my paintings.” image seems to hold. By removing narrative and imagery,
Raza’s colour palette, featuring vibrant reds, intense blues, Raza invites the viewer to slow down and engage with the
radiant yellows, and deep blacks, echoed the vibrational painting on a more spiritual and emotional level, making
frequencies associated with Indian spiritual traditions. The the experience both simple and deeply resonant.
canvases seemed to emanate energy rather than simply This symbolic language reaches a deeper
complexity in Gestation (1989), a layered and deeply
symbolic work that reflects his mature engagement
with geometry, spirituality, and colour. The acrylic on
Raza with art critic Emanuel Schlesinger canvas work is carefully structured around a large black
circle in the centre. Surrounding the circle is a complex
arrangement of triangles, diagonal sections, and linear
patterns, all contained within a square frame. The colour
palette is dominated by earthy browns, blacks, reds and
greens, giving the painting a grounded yet luminous
quality. The title Gestation suggests growth, formation,
and becoming, and this idea is echoed in the way forms
appear to build upon one another in layered rhythms.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Raza was being
widely celebrated in India and abroad. He was invited
to major exhibitions such as the New Delhi Triennale. He
received the Padma Shri in 1981 from the Government of
India. His work was shown internationally at places like the
Royal Academy in London and major galleries in Paris. During
this period, his paintings were increasingly focused on the
bindu and ideas of energy, origin, and inner balance. Large
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artists Bal Chhabda, Tyeb Mehta,
Krishen Khanna and M F Husain in
the late 1990s
retrospectives in France and solo exhibitions confirmed his viewer’s eye toward the centre and suggesting expansion,
position as a major modern artist. vibration, and continuity. The colour palette is dominated
In the 1990s, his work expanded beyond painting into by blues, greens, blacks, and earthy tones. Each colour
public art and interdisciplinary collaborations, including and shape feels deliberate, reinforcing the sense of
designing the official poster for the Avignon Festival and balance and progression.
creating large ceramic installations for the Lisbon Metro. By the 1990s, Raza was deeply engaged with symbolic
Raza’s abstract style during this phase had become geometry, using simple forms like the circle, square, and
increasingly cosmological, as reflected in Bindu Panchtatva triangle to express complex philosophical ideas.
(1991). It is a powerful and symbolic painting that brings
together geometry, colour, and Indian philosophy. Created
utilising acrylic on canvas, the Bindu Panchtatva showcases Teaching, Influence & the Artistic Community
a vertical, curved arch-like form containing a series of five Raza believed that art was a lifelong dialogue, not only
circular bindus aligned along the centre. with oneself but with fellow artists, students, writers, and
These circles represent the panchtatva, the five thinkers. Although he lived abroad, he remained deeply
fundamental elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. involved with the Indian art community. His interactions
Each bindu is set against a horizontal section of colour, with contemporaries such as M F Husain, Ram Kumar,
with warm oranges and reds transitioning into cooler Krishen Khanna, Tyeb Mehta, and Akbar Padamsee
blues and darker tones. The repetition of the circle enriched his reflections on Indian modernism. Raza
reinforces the idea of continuity, unity, and cosmic order, saw himself not as an isolated creator but as part of a
while the enclosing arch gives the composition a sacred, movement that sought to redefine artistic identity.
almost shrine-like presence. By this stage in his career, He also played a significant role in mentoring
Raza had fully embraced the bindu as both a visual and young artists. Through lectures, conversations, and later
spiritual symbol. the Raza Foundation (established in 2001), he supported
Raza explored ideas of growth, transformation, and emerging talent in visual arts, literature, and classical
inner energy through geometry and colour in many of music. His philanthropy reflected his belief that the future
his works. The composition titled Germination, executed of Indian culture depended on nurturing its youth.
around 1992, is one such work. It reflects a visual of moving In the final phase of his life, Raza’s works became
from initiation to growth and finally to form, capturing distilled statements of belief, as reflected in one of his
the quiet but powerful process of becoming. It is works titled Nari (2001). It expresses feminine energy
divided into three stacked sections, each with its own through abstraction. Unlike figurative representations
visual rhythm, yet clearly connected as part of a single of women, Nari expresses femininity through symbolism
process suggested by the title itself. At the top, sharp rather than imagery. The geometric shapes and colours
zigzag patterns surround a black circle, creating a sense act as metaphors for power, balance, and fertility.
of activity and movement. The middle panel features The composition is built from horizontal layers of vivid
concentric circular lines radiating inward, drawing the colours, such as red, blue, green, yellow, and black,
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