M F Husain – Billboard painter to Billionaire

Maqbul Fida Husain was born on 17^th September 1915 in Pandharpur town of Maharashtra to Suleman Bohra family. Having lost his mother very early in his life, his canvases as a full fletched artist later, often resonated blurred memory of her in the form of faceless nurturing figures. He moved to Indore with his father and step mother to study in Indore Arts College and eventually started his higher education in J J School of Arts, Mumbai. But it was his billboard painting days that paced him to be a fast artist with better perspective reasoning his life-size works of art later. He even designed toys and furniture to support himself financially. During his days in J J School of Arts, he, along with Souza, Raza, Ara, Gade and Bakre pioneered Progressive artists group in 1947, meant for modern artists with independent thoughts in India. His painting bagged the best painting award at Bombay Art Society which kept his hope and fire alive.

Being one of the luminaries in the art world, he was known as ‘India’s Picasso’. His canvases often spun around Mother, Madhuri, Madonna and Mohini, among others. While a successful man is said to have a woman behind, Husain clearly had many women behind his successful paintings. Women in his works are the epitome of strength and sacrifice, often representing the modern idiom of Sakthi and Prakruthi. Husain’s paintings were frequently pumped with his roots and Indianness in his modified cubist style. He was an artist who picked his narrative from indian folklores and mythology despite his religion and represented them as creative visual treats for the onlookers. Be it the reflection of Kerala, God’s own country or the grandeur of Royal palaces of Jaisalmer, this barefoot artist effortlessly portrayed it below his brush.  Husain’s signature style horses were strong and free spirited that pepped the mood of its spectators. The size of his works was larger than life often echoing flamboyant images brimming with personality, character and an inspiring tale.

Husain may have created more than 50,000 paintings in his lifetime and his works have extensively travelled across the globe to be exhibited, auctioned or even gifted. He has exhibited his works round the globe including in Sao Paulo Biennale in 1971, the Contemporary Indian Art exhibition at the Royal Academy, London, in 1982 and the India, Myth and Reality: Aspects of Contemporary Indian Art exhibition at the MoMA, New York, in 1982, Epic India: Paintings by M. F. Husain’, Herwitz Collection of Contemporary Indian Art, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA in 2007, The World is my Canvas', organised by Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), Qatar Foundation and as part of 2010 Arab Capital of Culture.  Aside from being a zealous artist he tried his flair in movie making and created his film 'Through the Eyes of a Painter’ in 1967 that won the Golden Bear in International Berlin Film Festival and a National award for Best experimental film, India. His movie ‘Gaja Gamini’ with actress Madhuri Dixit was a critically acclaimed film.

The renowned artist has been bestowed with India’s highest honours Padma Sri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan for his outstanding contribution in the field of art. He is also been awarded Raja Ravi Varma award by Kerala Government, among others. He served as an Indian member of Parliament from 1986 to 1992. Despite being a renowned artist, he had his share of controversies that separated him from his mother land he so cherished. His painting depicting the map of India as nude woman titled bharat mata created controversy that pushed him to leave India, although he claimed it was not his title. He lived in Doha, Dubai and London in his later years, while his heart was in India. A supreme court ruling in 2008 vindicated him of all charges, yet the fear of vandalism by mobs barricaded his return. He was often quoted saying ‘I am an Indian origin painter and will remain so till my last breath’. He breathed his last at the age of 95 years in 2011 at London. Though it was a great loss to world, he left a legacy that boasts of multi religious country with robust women and men acting as pillars, through his visual narratives on canvas. His energy was unceasing even in his 90s, he kept travelling the world, making friends and creating works of art until his heart literally stopped beating.

MF Husain not only revolutionised Indian modern art, but he transcended the tacit limit set upon price tags of Indian art works. He refused to sell his work small, making himself loud and clear that works of Indian artists are worth a fortune akin to their international counterparts. He sold his work on ‘mother Teresa’ for whooping 4 lacs despite all the initial frowns and chuckles. Today, several Indian artists are able to sell their works at sizable price tags in international markets with pride, thanks to Husain’s efforts.  Husain was a very generous man, who often gifted his works to friends without worrying about any yields. Despite all the money and fame, he kept himself grounded to his roots. He never forgot his humble beginning as a billboard painter who struggled for three square meals a day. From a poor village boy to India’s richest artist, his story is truly inspiring that whispers hope to everyone who dares to dream.

Sai Ratna Manjari

Ganesh Pyne and his art of melancholy

Ganesh Pyne’s canvas often resonates the uncomfortable yet inevitable side of living beings, ‘Death’. Being a contemporary artist of Bengal school, his very Indian yet dark artworks revolve around the legends and lore of Bengal. Having been born and brought up in Kolkata’s decaying buildings and listening to stories narrated by his grandmother about Bengali folklores and reading through Bengali Children’s magazines, his imagination received wings that was hard to contain. However, it was Kolkata riots during pre-independence time in 1946 that left a lasting impression on his 9 years old brain, when he encountered countless dead bodies piled one over the other. This incident moulded his artistic fancy destine towards shady imagery and eerie fantasy.

Born in 1937, Pyne joined Government college of Arts and Craft in 1959 after finishing school and was particularly drawn towards the skeletal remains of humans and animals. This eventually became the subject of his canvas with death being the epicentre of his paintings. In 1960s he started his career at Mandar Mullick’s studio by working as a book illustrator and sketching for animated movies. He also joined Society of Contemporary Artists. It was hard to make ends meet those days as he had little money to buy colours. Yet he kept drawing with pen and ink. His first painting was titled ‘Winter morning’ picturing him and his brother going to school together. Although, he was a calm and composed man outside, his art was rebellious, venting his anger and dismay in the form of skull, cadavers, creepy faces in the backdrop of dark and blue shades. He even depicted less noticed mythological characters like Amba, Ekalavya and others whose life was reflective of miseries and curse. His art is a visual tour to the horrors perceived and experienced by him and his characters. Pyne started with watercolour but eventually moved to gouache and later to tempera as his medium.

However, Pyne did not always make shady paintings, some of his early works in watercolours drew inspiration from Abhinandranath, Hals Rembrandt and Paul Klee’s work. Nevertheless, it was his unique work of shady art that brought him fame. He often drew inspiration from traditional Indian puppetry, drama and movies. All his works resonate death either in its hues or figures. Frayed buildings cry out loud its uncanny past, a solitary fisherman is seen trapped in his own fishing net, while a distant trader sees his own shadow as death. Be it flickering lights or beheaded hero or predator approaching a prey; all speak one truth, that death is inevitable. Despite producing successful works in 1970s, he stayed away from the public eye for a while due to the envy & bitterness among his peers and commercialism in art industry. He was a man who often kept himself away from limelight and chose to exhibit his work in limit. As an artist he preferred to paint but not commercialize it. It was only after his marriage that he realized the importance of life & love and broke his bubble to come out and express. In fact, his first solo exhibition was held in his 50s.

As a painter and draughtsman, he exhibited his works in several solo and group shows across nation and the world. His work was received well and was often appreciated for his style. He was bestowed with many awards for his work including the Raja Ravi Varma award from Kerala Government and Life time achievement award by Indian Chamber of Commerce. Ganesh Pyne’s life has been an inspiration to many which is why many books have been published discussing his works and life. A movie by Buddhadeb Dasgupta on Ganesh Pyne’s life ‘A Painter of Eloquent Silence: Ganesh Pyne’ received National award for Best Arts movie in 1998. He was a critically acclaimed artist, who was described as ‘a poet of melancholia’ by art critic Ranjit Hoskote, while the celebrated artist M F Hussain described him as ‘India’s best artist’. Though a man of few words, his brush was verbose with reality of life seeping through it for the world to look at. He breathed his last in 2013, but he left his thoughts on the canvas for the world to see and savour for eternity.

Sai Ratna Manjari

Haku Shah: Re-living Gandhi

Haku Shah’s canvas provides a cognizance into the Indian tribal heritage. His paintings are aperture between tribal art & craft and the rest of the world. Having spent his boyhood close to tribal belt in a Gujarati village, he developed a deep sense of connection with these indigenous groups of India, that stayed with him forever. However, his work in Gandhi Ashram in his early days of career reflects its influence in his artworks often projecting sanctity and peace in being Swadeshi, reasoning his belief in staying minimalistic. Nevertheless, his pieces of art also often speak volumes about Hindu mythical characters under the backdrop of humble and rustic setup, such as Lord Krishna playing his flute, while cows encircle him. Every piece of his work is an adage to humanity, harmony and belief.

Born in a village called Valod, Surat, India in 1934 his tender mind naturally inclined towards different forms of art including music and poetry. He pursued his bachelors and masters degree in fine arts from the popular M S University, Baroda under the tutelage of legendary artists/teacher K G Subramanian and N S Bendre. He says when he first entered the Baroda school three things inspired him and shaped him into what he is today – village, tribal world and Philosophy of Gandhi. These encounters had inked his passion for folk and tribal art & craft in his mind, that awaited its outburst in the form of paintings and documentaries later. His experience with tribal lifestyle has taught him that they are wealthy in true sense as music and art is etched in their genes. They celebrate life with colours, delicacies, melodies and moves as though inferring that happiness is a state of mind and has nothing to do with money. He worked briefly in National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, post which he was awarded Nehru fellowship which collectively encouraged him to stay dedicated to tribal art.

Artist Haku Shah has extensively presented his works across the planet, that introduced the simplicity and vibrancy of lesser known pockets of India to the world. He has worked tirelessly towards the improvement of tribal society by bringing their work into the limelight through workshops and exhibitions. He worked with Weaver’s Service Centre that associated directly with weavers across India. He was invited by renowned art historian Dr. Stella Kramrisch to curate seminal exhibition Unknown India that travelled to the USA. He jointly designed and curated an exhibition on clay - Maati Ye Tere Roop in Crafts Museum, Delhi and set up crafts village called Shilpgram in Udaipur. Apart from these, artist Haku Shah has made several solo and group exhibitions too. His latest exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi’s life and narrative called Nitya Gandhi : Living Re-living Gandhi, rekindled the memories of Bapu and sent across the message of peace, equality and unity to young and old alike. He is a curator of Museum for Tribal Cultures at Gujarat Vidyapeeth. Aside from restoring tribal art in India, he has associated with several international museums like the Mingi International Museum of World Folk Art in San Diego, California; Museum of Mankind, London and the Tropical Museum, Amsterdam. He has penned many books for children. He has published extensively on Indian art & crafts and have composed couple of films on the subject. He has taught at School of Architecture, Ahmedabad for many years and served as Regent Professor at the University California, Davis. He is a Chairman and founder trustee of Bhooma Lok Shilpa Sansthan, Gujarat.

Artist Haku Shah is a man-on-mission, with a career spanning more than half a century and a contribution so rich and significant to the world of art. He is been bestowed with several prestigious awards including a Padma Shri by President of India. His inclination towards collecting art and documenting them extensively, alongside encouraging the art and the artisan makes him a sincere artist, anthropologist and an art historian. As a teacher he often instructed his students to avoid unnecessary waste by using extravagant colours, something that Gandhi himself edified the society. He believes that Indian artists in today’s time should stay decked to their roots and pick inspiration from their rich culture and tradition instead of seeing the west. His message to youth is to have unfailing rigour to learn by observing and imbibing. He currently lives and works in Ahmedabad. Shah has dedicated his life in the upliftment of lesser privileged yet talented societies, which makes him a real Gandhian. As the renowned artist Amit Ambalal puts it “There you can see the Gandhi in him, in the concern for the lowest person", he truly has re-lived Gandhi.

Sai Ratna Manjari