Sayed Haider
Raza who is noted as one of the most illustrious artists of India, was born in
1922. Having studied painting from Nagpur School of Art and later from Sir J. J. School of Art, Bombay, where he co-founded Progressive
Artists’ Group, his interest in abstract art drew him towards his further
studies in the Ecole nationalesuperieure des Beaux-Arts of Paris. He later
settled in France and pursued his career in modern art. Initially, he filled
his canvases with expressionist landscapes of French villages, however with
time his artform became more abstract and colourful. He later got influenced by
Indian scientific concepts of space, time, energy and started using ‘Bindu’, the dot and several geometric
patterns relevant to Hindu religion in his artworks. During this time(1970s), he
moved back to India. He also served as a visiting lecturer at the University of
California, Berkeley, USA. Raza was bestowed with one of India’s highest
civilian awards, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. He was also beingconferred
with the prestigious Commandeur
de la Légiond’Honneur, from French Government. He
founded Raza Foundation, who gives away annual awards to the young artists in
India. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 94.
