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Lot 53

 

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"From the very beginning Husain had been sensitive to the force of symbolization, to the capacity of the metaphor to mirror the ambiguities of reality beyond the reach of reason" (Shiv S. Kapur and Richard Bartholomew, Husain, Harry N. Abrams Inc., New York, 1972, p. 38-39). Over the long span of his artistic career, many of M.F. Husain's explorations of ideas of faith and religious heritage found their metaphorical expression in the art of... "From the very beginning Husain had been sensitive to the force of symbolization, to the capacity of the metaphor to mirror the ambiguities of reality beyond the reach of reason" (Shiv S. Kapur and Richard Bartholomew, Husain, Harry N. Abrams Inc., New York, 1972, p. 38-39). Over the long span of his artistic career, many of M.F. Husain's explorations of ideas of faith and religious heritage found their metaphorical expression in the art of calligraphy. Urdu and Arabic calligraphy gave Husain a system of visual symbols and forms that went beyond the sounds represented by the alphabets, and provided him with a mode of connecting with the phenomenon of 'God' in an abstract yet comprehensible manner.

Husain was introduced to calligraphy during the two years he spent receiving religious instruction under the care of his stepmother's father, a priest, in Siddhpur, Gujarat. During his time in Siddhpur, Husain learnt to memorise and recite the Koran and picked up Arabic. While the experience enriched young Husain intellectually by opening the doors of Islamic literature, mythology, poetry and history to him, the loneliness and regimental nature of the lifestyle weakened his beliefs in organized religion, and he sought refuge in practising calligraphy and composing poems.

This abstract, personal relationship with religious subjects manifests itself in Husain's paintings inspired by specific Arabic alphabets, including the present lot. Here, by placing the iconic Arabic alphabets Alif Laam Meem within a composition of recognizably religious images of palm trees, a goatherd and his goats, Husain crafts a metaphysical landscape, layered with multiple possible narratives. The letters Alif Laam Meem constitute the raw materials of the Arabic language (the English equivalents would be A, B, C), and serve as the opening words of the first of the six Surahs or chapters of the Koran. The exact meaning of their usage is uncertain and is commonly believed to be a 'divine secret' and intimately connected with ideas of guidance and knowledge.

Husain's inclusion of the alphabets confers upon the entire composition a certain sublime and symbolic quality. The 'tree of knowledge' referenced in the title, elicits Islamic as well as Jewish, Christian, and theosophical interpretations, further adding to the multidimensional symbolic value of the work. The tree appears in the Koran as the symbol of the original human sin and the reason why God removed humans from heaven and placed them on Earth. While its incorporation alongside the letters Alif Laam Meem may signal a portrayal of the human relationship with God, the applicability of the imagery to other religions, along with Husain's notably multi-religious approach to constructions of faith, offer myriad possibilities of meaning.

In line with Islam's belief that God is formless and indefinable, Husain's calligraphic forms trigger a series of interpretations and abstractions that manifest the complex nature of giving form to the formless.

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