S.H Raza
One of the most distinguished artists of the Indian subcontinent, Sayed Haider Raza, simply known as S.H. Raza, is famous for his usage of rich colors in all his portrays. Though he settled down in France in the early 1950s, he continued to represent Indian art by incorporating Indian philosophy and Indian cosmology in his works. Throughout his career, he had mainly used oil and acrylics for his paintings, which highlighted Indian ethnography. He also incorporated the Indian concepts of space and time, which was a huge hit among French, Indian and other art lovers worldwide. In 2010, a seminal work of his titled ‘Saurashtra’ was sold at a Christie’s auction for an impressive $3,486,965 (Rs. 16.42 crore), making him one of the priciest modern artists of India. For his immense contribution in the field of art, S.H. Raza was honored with India’s second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan in the year 2013.
The paintings of S.H. Raza revolve mainly around nature and its various facets. Over the years, his paintings evolved from being purely expressionist landscapes to abstract ones. He believes the Bindu (dot) to be the center of creation and existence and his works reflect this particular thinking. Even though the vibrancy of his paintings had become subtle later on in his career, the dynamism remained as alive as ever.