Bewildering ‘Bindu Vistaar’

Grosvenor Vadehra just hosted an exhibition of works by S.H. Raza in London. ‘Bindu Vistaar’ featured fourteen new paintings by the veteran artist, all executed in last one year or so especially for the exhibition. This was his first solo-show in London since 2006 and the first in Europe since 2010.

The Hindi word ‘Vistaar’ can be translated in many ways and can refer to the terms range, scope, detail and magnitude. During a career spanning over seventy years Raza has helped redefine the perception of Indian art both within and outside of his homeland.

The latest works on view reflected the artist’s long held aesthetic ideals, the paintings from which contained a great deal of vigor, vibrancy and a strong connection to India and its religious heritage.  The exhibition intended to display the development and range of styles in which Raza has depicted his characteristic subject matter in recent times. Another important aspect seen in his later works is the incorporation of religious symbology and folkloric imagery such as the Bindu and Yoni into his paintings.  These mystical elements further displaying his ties with India, as well as adding a purity of form.

The artist calls his recent work a “result of two parallel enquiries”. Firstly, it is aimed at a “pure plastic order” and secondly, it concerns the theme of nature. Both converge into a single point and become inseparable – the “Bindu” (the dot or the epicentre). “The Bindu symbolizes the seed, bearing the potential of all life” His masterful paintings express the nature’s beauty through watercolor landscapes, through to dynamic abstractions, and into captivating compositions concentrated around the bindu.

“I have lived fully, and (always) worked with passion and intensity both as a painter and thinker. It needed 30 years for me to master the art of painting before I arrived at a personal style that includes Indian concepts and iconography such as the bindu, purush-prakriti and so on.”

Though based in Paris for the last six decades, he has supported talented artists from India. Raza Foundation helps bright young names in the domain of visual art, poetry, music etc. He feels budding artist should be appreciated so that they rise higher.