Some important milestones of Husan’s life - I

• MF Husain was born in Pandharpur in Maharashtra in 1915. His father was an accountant in a textile mill. His mother died when he was two years old. Her passing made a strong impression on him "as seen in his portrayal of his mother", writes Najma Husain in a book, titled ‘Husain's Art’.
  
  
• His artistic skills were noticed by the family with his mastery of the Arabic calligraphy he had to learn as a young boy. Young Husain would sell his books to buy painting tools. He particularly loved painting landscapes.
  
  
• A self-taught artist, his impulses were awakened by the street art and the colors & sights he would keenly observe as he would ride a bicycle. He arrived in Mumbai from his home town as an 18-year-old to pursue his dreams of being a filmmaker.
  
  
• His first assignment was painting cinema signboards to support his family. Working on hoardings and billboards helped him paint using deep colors and bold lines on large canvases when he turned to painting murals and large works of art. He embraced the street around him, living in bazaar lanes where street vendors would peddle their wares.
  
  
• It was in the 1940s that Husain rose to prominence as a painter. Following India's independence he joined the Progressive Artist's Group, a bold new breed of artists like FN Souza, Raza and Akbar Padamsee.
  
  
• The PAG wanted to break free from the traditions and sought freedom in content and technique. Their bold themes were considered anarchic as they brought Indian elements to Expressionist styles and Cubist forms. Artists were considered an elite group who enjoyed the patronage of the royals in pre-Independence India.
  
  
• In 1947 he was invited by Francis Newton Souza to join the Progressive Artists’ Group, an organization that encouraged embracing modernism and breaking free of traditional painting styles, especially the classical miniatures favored by the Bengal School.