Joining the Dots

The bindu has been Raza’s muse for over three decades and will also dominate his solo that begins at London’s Grosvenor Gallery on June 8. “It is a part of Indian tradition and much more than a mere pictorial element. It represents the five elements,and is also the dot that is on the forehead of millions of Indian women,” says the 90-year-old artist,looking at an unfinished bindu on an easel at his Delhi studio. With the dot on the canvas surrounded by a maze of triangles in blue,once complete,this work is meant to be parcelled to Mumbai for a solo at Jehangir Art Gallery in November.

The year 2011 has been hectic for the master. If it was commitment to his lady love,French artist Janine Mongillat,that kept him in Paris for over 50 years,his deep connect with India brought him back in January 2011. “I never thought I’ll stay in France this long when I went there. If it wasn’t for Janine,I would’ve been here long time ago. After her demise,it took me a few years to make the move but I knew I had to come back,” says Raza,a member of the Progressive Artists’ Group,who holds the record for the most expensive Indian painting sold at an auction. In 2010,his 1983-work titled Saurashtra came under the hammer for a whopping $3.5 million at Christie’s. On June 8,bids will be invited for his another significant work,La Forge. The 1971 acrylic is estimated to go at Sotheby’s between £ 3,00,000 and £ 4,00,000. “It’s nice to know the work is being appreciated,” says Raza.

His journey from Babaria (in Madhya Pradesh) to Mumbai to Paris and Delhi has been eventful and tiring,but Raza is happy with the way it unfolded. “We never thought things will change so much. One worked and took pleasure in that,” says the artist,who has also established a foundation to promote young talent. Artists often meet up in the basement of his Safdarjung home,where Raza also has his books library. “I want to make my contribution to Indian art,” says the artist.