Page 23 - S.H. Raza || SOJOURN || The Arts Trust

Sketch The artist with Ankuran –
7 x 5 in (18 x 13 cm) Germination (39.5 x 39.5 in,
Acrylic on board acrylic on canvas), painted
1979 in 2004

weight, suggesting inner conflict, memory, or intense Rohe. He also spent a month in New York after receiving by friends, and slowly settling into a more abstract style. the brushstrokes feel restless, as if the land itself is shifting
sensation rather than a physical place. an invitation from the Rockefeller Foundation and stayed at This is reflected in Brataque, where Raza uses restraint to and alive. Although the title means 'landscape', Raza
Later, Raza began introducing order to his abstract the Chelsea Hotel. He later returned to Paris and gradually heighten intensity. doesn’t paint nature realistically. Instead, he transforms
works. His painting, Jaipur (1964) marks this turning point. shifted towards using acrylic paints. Created in 1972, this work showcases Raza’s it into an abstract space filled with recall and feeling.
Organised into a grid-like composition, divided into four The late 1950s and 1960s marked a significant shift continued exploration of abstraction through a more By this stage in his career, Raza was deeply focused on
quadrants, the painting balances expressive brushwork with in Raza’s art. He moved steadily toward abstraction, measured visual language. The deep blues and near- expressing inner experience through colour and form
geometric control. It is dominated by red, black, and earthy reducing his landscapes to essential shapes, colours, black tones of the work immediately create a moody, rather than external reality. The work reflects this phase,
yellow colours that are associated with the architectural and symbols. This transition was not merely stylistic; it almost contemplative atmosphere. The composition feels where landscape becomes a powerful emotional force
character of Indian cities. Thick, textured brushstrokes and reflected a deep philosophical inquiry. As he grappled compressed, drawing the viewer’s attention inward rather rather than a place you can easily recognise.
rough edges give the surface a tactile quality, making the with questions of identity and belonging, Raza turned than outward. The lighter streaks of white and a hint of The caves of Ajanta and Ellora, the ghats of Varanasi,
painting feel energetic. While the title references Jaipur, the inward, rediscovering the spiritual foundations of Indian yellow in the centre cut through the dark surface, creating and the deserts of Rajasthan made him stop and think again
work does not depict the city literally. Instead, it captures culture. He began reading texts on Hindu metaphysics, moments of tension and release. Painted during a mature about his art. These places stayed in his mind and gently
its essence and its warmth through colour and form. Each Tantric philosophy, and Indian cosmology. These readings phase of Raza’s career, the work shows his confidence in helped him change the way he painted and the way he saw
quadrant feels like a fragment of memory, as if the city has resonated with his childhood memories and reawakened using limited colour and abstract form to convey emotion. the world; thus, prompting a reassessment of his artistic
been broken into emotional pieces and reassembled on hidden realisations. The graphic print medium allows for contrasts and direction. He began focusing more on balance, space,
the canvas. This approach reflected Raza’s growing interest sharp edges, reinforcing the intensity and seriousness of and internal structure rather than the subject. He became
in geometry, balance, and symbolism, which would later the composition. increasingly interested in order and spiritual geometry.
lead to his iconic geometric works. Reconnection to the Homeland in the 1970s By the end of the decade, Raza’s landscape works The transition from landscapes to abstraction was
Raza’s life had become a mix of travel, teaching, Despite his flourishing career abroad, Raza increasingly had fully transformed into inner terrain. Paysage (1979) pretty evident during this period. It also led to the
and growing recognition from the early 1960s. After Karl felt a deep emotional and spiritual void. While France demonstrates this shift. This dramatic and intense emergence of the bindu phase in the late 1970s.
Kasten from the University of California noticed his work taught him technique and discipline, it also reminded him abstract landscape is more emotional than a physical
in Paris, Raza was invited to teach as a visiting lecturer at of what he had lost: a connection to the metaphysical representation. Created utilising acrylic on canvas,
the University of Berkeley. He then travelled to New York traditions of his homeland. He reminisced about sacred the work is filled with dark, layered textures and The Centre of Creation: The Bindu
with his wife, where he was deeply influenced by artists sites, ancient architecture, and landscapes imbued with deep, earthy colours like burnt orange, red, brown, and In Indian thought, the bindu, which literally means ‘point’,
like Mark Rothko, Sam Francis, and Hans Hofmann. Trips to historical and spiritual significance. From the 1970s, he black. The composition is dense and heavy, with sharp, represents origin. It is the smallest possible mark and the
San Francisco and Chicago also exposed him to modern travelled continuously between Europe and India. He jagged forms cutting through darker areas, creating source of infinite potential. Raza’s bindu was never a mere
architecture, especially the work of Ludwig Mies van der was spending time in Mumbai, painting in studios offered a sense of movement and tension. Nothing is calm or still; dot; it’s a vibrant, pulsating presence that organises the

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