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Lot 54

 

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“I have no apology for my repetition of the form of the bindu. With repetition you gain energy and intensity - as is gained through the japmala, or the repetition of a word or a syllable until you achieve a state of elevated consciousness.” – S H RAZA

S H Raza’s art underwent a transformation in the late 1970s when he began to explore the potential of geometric forms. Stripped of narrative elements, these forms “are pared down to... “I have no apology for my repetition of the form of the bindu. With repetition you gain energy and intensity - as is gained through the japmala, or the repetition of a word or a syllable until you achieve a state of elevated consciousness.” – S H RAZA

S H Raza’s art underwent a transformation in the late 1970s when he began to explore the potential of geometric forms. Stripped of narrative elements, these forms “are pared down to their essence. They are simple, elementary forms with universal meaning - based on geometric principles which become metaphors for the world he intends to represent.” (Geeti Sen, Bindu: Space and Time in Raza’s Vision, New Delhi: Media Transasia India Ltd., 1997, p. 110) This preoccupation with lines, shapes and colours has been a part of his oeuvre ever since and has led to the recurring presence of the bindu in his works.

With this new geometric vocabulary, Raza’s art speaks to centuries- old practices and beliefs of visual abstraction shared across cultures. “Geometry, number and harmony are part of the ‘objective’ language shared by several religions, used in the sacred art of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Shintoism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism... In almost every civilisation, celestial geography envisages the universe in terms of pure geometry - as the only means by which the planetary spheres can be mapped.” (Sen, p. 119)

Sourya is a triptych that consists of three square panels that unfold from light to dark. Rendered in earthy colours, the sequence recalls the progression of daylight into the darkness of night.

Raza was particularly influenced by the all encompassing darkness of night time in the deep and dense forests of Madhya Pradesh where he grew up. He once recalled “nights in the forest were hallucinating; sometimes the only humanizing influence was the dancing of the Gond tribes. Daybreak brought back a sentiment of security and well-being. On market-day, under the radiant sun, the village was a fairyland of colors. And then, the night again. Even today I find that these two aspects of my life dominate me and are an integral part of my paintings.” (Artist quoted in Yashodhara Dalmia, The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 155)

The central panel of Sourya features the bindu, or the black circle, which stands as a metaphor for the origin of all life in Indian philosophy, while also being a sign of shunya, or a void, that is similar to the point from which the universe was created. A recurring motif in Raza’s geometric works, the bindu’s representation ranges from a concentrated dot to a large black orb, as noted in the present lot. It symbolises “...the seed, bearing the potential of all life, in a sense. It is also a visible form containing all the essential requisites of line, tone, colour, texture, and space. The black space is charged with latent forces aspiring for fulfillment.” (Sen, p. 134)

Raza was introduced to the bindu by one of his teachers in his native Indian village in the Mandala district of Madhya Pradesh. The teacher, Nandlal Jharia, taught him how to focus on the significant and eliminate the peripheral by concentrating on a small black dot. However, it took a few decades for this concept to manifest in Raza’s oeuvre, which developed in distinct phases that were heavily influenced by his travels and life in France before returning to his Indian roots.

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