Raza and his centre of life ‘Bindu’

Syed Haider Raza, a name that found its fame across the continents for his pure pageantry of stupendous artworks. He is perhaps one of those very uncommon early artists who ignited India’s fame on international platform through his sheer flair for brushstroke, yet his art knows no boundaries. His work scales from European expressionism to geometric abstraction with eventual 

focus on Indian element ‘Bindu’ or dot, the source of energy.                                                                   

As a young lad, Raza was entranced by the magnificence of forest in his birthplace Babaria, Madhya Pradesh where his father was a forest ranger. Although, he took to art as a child, he held the images of these picturesque flora and fauna in his mind to capture it later in his canvases; something that is evident in his early canvases as a professional artist.  After his high school at Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, he moved to Nagpur to pursue his education in Nagpur School of Art followed by a masters in Sir J J School of Art, Bombay. It is here that he pioneered the Bombay Progressive artists group along with other members including M.F Hussain, F. N Souza etc. in 1947. The group was influenced by western modernism yet bringing out ‘Antar Gyan’ or inner vision of Indian art to the world. He soon moved to France through a French government Scholarship to study at École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His exposure to European art inspired him to experiment with French expressionism and eventually abstraction. He later became a visiting lecturer in University of Berkeley, California and he found inspiration in American landscapes.

Although, Raza made France his home and married a French artist Janine Mongillat, his heart was locked in his home country. He wanted to feel the waves of river Narmada, smell the petrichor of his village, listen to the chirps of sparrows in his portico. By 1970s the successful artist started questioning his inner drive and often went on a pilgrimage to India. His travels to Banaras, Gujarat, Rajasthan and many more cleared the clouds in his mind and made him find a new dimension to his purpose. His canvases spoke louder than ever with vibrant colours and shapes, ‘Bindu’ became his centre of subject and remained so until his last painting. He recalls how ‘Bindu’ was meant to happen in his art, as back in his school days he was often asked to concentrate on a dot or ‘Bindu’ to improve his attention in class by his teacher. He even started highlighting concepts of space and time, energies of female and male called ‘Prakriti - Purusha’ and various spiritual concepts in his paintings. His art took a significant leap to geometric abstraction which was well received by his onlookers. In 2010 he decided to return to India, never to go back again after his beloved wife’s sad demise.

Being one of the most eminent artists of India with a huge international recognition, he presented his work across the globe including solo exhibitions in New York, Royal Academy of Arts at London, Biennales of Venice, Lalit Kala akademi, India and many more. He was bestowed with countless awards including India’s prestigious Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan and the respectable French Legion of Honour. His art often sold for big bucks, so much so that one of his art sold for more than 18 crores at Christie’s auction. Yet he never cared for the price tags, but for the art and the artists. He created Raza foundation to help budding artists grow through fellowships and awards every year. For Raza art kept gushing through his veins, even in his 90s he never stopped painting. He painted to live and lived to paint because that’s what his passion and his faith was in. On July 23^rd 2016, Raza breathed his last and was buried next to his father’s grave in Mandala. He left a legacy that would keep inspiring youth to work hard and keep dreaming. His narrative of rustic village boy making India famous at international scale and yet helping Indians like him have a big vision through his foundation is something that would last for ages. He was a life long student, he believed in learning and implementing it without succumbing to situations be it age, loss or location. The magnitude of his achievements could have easily made him retire early, yet he painted and he painted till he breathed his last. Raza’s life is a strong message to youth that ‘the only wall between you and your dreams are you alone’.

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JAYASRI BURMAN –the woman behind mythical canvas

It is not every day that you see a simple canvas reflecting ordinary beings, transform into contours of sheer grandeur and divinity under the tip of a brush. Artist JayasriBurman’sbrush stroke over the years has metamorphosed into works that project ordinary men and women with heroic characters raised to the level of Gods and Goddesses often surrounded by hybrid creatures. Simple characters like a mother nurturing a child or a girl trying to find her identity, are often bestowed with wings to fly or fins to swim in Jayasri’s work, redefining their freedom, desire, and strength. Perhaps, she sees in ordinary people an extraordinary ability to evolve and flourish.

Born in the city of Joy, Kolkata, her early life was soaked in festivities, colors, and spirituality. It is no surprise that her artwork celebrates the feminism and womanhood likened to the female mythical characters of Indian legends often worshipped in the form of Goddess Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Every so often, she picks a central character, usually a woman and weaves a story around her with crossed creatures flying, floating or just standing around, transcending the possibilities in Life science. Her art speaks the language of her imagination with subtle surprises, sometimes by the presence of a swan, mermaid, pigeon, parrot etc. Her desire to be free and nomadic as these birds or animals makes her canvas and sculpture invariably fabled and enchanting. As a child, she was always inclined towards writing and poetry, but she also knew that she was destined to be an artist as she was often inspired by her famous uncle and artist Sakti Burman, a contemporary Indian artist living in France. The enigma in her work is a powerful souvenir of her metier and personage.

But her art was not always this mystic as today, one can find a distinct transformation in her work of art from late 20th to early 21st century. Having completed her education from Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan and Visual College of Art, Kolkata, she went to learn printmaking in Paris under the guidance of Monsieur Ceizerzi. Initially, she started painting an impressionist style with pen and ink, but later she used various media and techniques including etching, printmaking, and sculpting. Many of her early works captured the many parts of India and its people, which were reminiscent of her new-found vocation for travel back to 1990s. Being a budding artist, she was trying to create her identity through her innocent, yet delightful paintings, which earned her a lot of appreciation. Her earlier canvasses echoed her simplicity as an artist, but as her art transformed under her brush, so did her persona as an individual. As her ability to create flawless paintings evolved, her canvases became more intricate and bold, each image reverberating feminism and strength through larger than life characters.

According to the artist, her love for travel gives her inspiration to paint and her prayers give her strength to keep doing her work with honesty. However, like a child seeking refuge in her mother’s anchal, she found solace in painting what she believed in and not what the world demanded. she always comes back to the epics and fables she has grown up with. Her art mirrors her inner self, nostalgia, touched antiquities, perceptions, and aspirations. Despite facing several personal tragedies, she believes in smiling and spreading the smile. Her motto is to disseminate love, peace, and harmony through her paintings and bring people closer to nature. According to her, we are so accustomed to living in this ‘concrete jungle’ that we have forgotten the real beauty of nature and therefore the many natural elements in her canvases remind us of our roots.

She is conferred with many awards including the National Award by Govt. of India in 1985 for her graphics. In 1987 her works were featured in International Triennale in Germany, during the same year she received a certificate of merit from All India Youth Art Exhibition. She has exhibited her work extensively, solo and joint across the length and breadth of India and the globe. Despite being an artist with immense accomplishments, she never stops her desire to learn and create ebullient images with her unique brushstrokes or lifelike sculptures with her tools. Being an indefatigable creator of bold and beautiful fairy-tale art and being a female protagonist in the male dominant profession, Jayasri sets an example and continues to inspire a generation of artists to come.

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Masuram Ravikanth Paintings in Hyderabad

The works of artist Ravikanth Masuram looks back atthe bygone era, while recontextualising the narrative and memory in modern times. His recent ‘Royal dict art’ and studio photography art was inspired by the memories he gathered from his father’s photo studio. His horse series makes every adult re-live the childhood through imagery of their long-lost toys. He earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from M M K Visual Arts, Gulbarga University and his master’s degree in painting from University of Hyderabad. He is being bestowed with Lalit Kala Academy Award, Karnataka and National Scholarship from Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India.

Bhaskar Rao Artist

Having drawn inspiration from trees and their very existence ever since the inception of life on earth, artist Bhaskar Rao feels proud to have given voice to these underrated yet vital beings through his canvas. As a teacher and Dean of Arts at Loyola Academy, he inspires his students to be creative and passionate about art. He has obtained his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Andhra University and a master’s degree from University of Hyderabad. He is being bestowed with Lalit Kala Academy award from Karnataka government and Karnataka Rajyotsavaaward.

Nagesh Goud

The central character in his artworks draw inspiration from Indian mythology, while his art forms are very similar to traditional art of Kalamkari and Paithan art. He uses bold hues to project his audacious character embellished with intricate stories. His art depicts ancient history in fresh look.  He obtained his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from college of fine arts, JNTU, Hyderabad. He is being conferred with an award from Lalit Kala Samiti Siddipet and puppet maker-11 award by Hyderabad art society.

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Bharat Yadav Artist

His canvases usually depict strength, power and aggression through the imagery of a bull with rare sense of calmness. He pursued his bachelor’s degree in painting from Sri Venkateshwara College of fine arts and later acquired a master’s degree in S.N school of fine arts at Hyderabad Central University. He has done several group and solo shows across the country and has been bestowed with an award at State Level Exhibition from the Andhra Pradesh State Culture Council, and a Gold Medal for 'Young Talents of India' at the All India Exhibition of Art and Literature, Hyderabad.

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Ganesh Pyne Artist

The master of dark imagery whose canvas resonates the voice of death, artist Ganesh pyne’s creative themes revolve around Bengali folklores and Indian mythology. Having studied at Government college of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata, he was intensely influenced by Bengal school. Pyne started his career as a book illustrator and animator at Mandar Mullick’s studio in Kolkata. With time his medium evolved along with his style and narrative of his canvas. He is being bestowed with Raja Ravi Verma award and life time achievement award by Indian Chamber of commerce. In 2013 he breathed his last, with immense artistic legacy left behind.

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