Friday, July 27, 2007

M F HUSSAIN ( Artist in Exile)

Undoubtedly one of the most celebrated artists of India, Maqbool Fida Hussain is one of the rare artists, who is a household name in India. Not always in the news for his paintings, M F Hussain has given Indian paintings fame. He has also added glamour to Indian art by dabbling with motion pictures and doing many series on famous actresses of Bollywood. Needless to say, each act of his noticed with rare enthusiasm and people wait to know his latest subject of inspiration. Behind this lies MF Hussain, the artist who is a self-thought genius.

In many ways he appears to be eccentric to us, yet he continues to generate same amount of attention in all circles. Whether it is his paintings on Hindu gods and goddesses, or his secular paintings with objects of various faith standing together, Hussain has been inspiring with his creations and has not shied from portraying controversial subjects on the canvas.

Although in nineties, Hussain has been an artist of concern throughout his career spanning six decades. No artist generates so much curiosity for his art, as Hussain. His technique and style is unique and he uses large canvas and large brush. His strokes are lengthy and he has taken great care to instill energy and passion in his art. His creations are still but they seem to be breathing. His works are not so difficult to decipher although distortions are ubiquitous in his paintings. Unlike other artists, he is used to do series of painting on a particular subject. Be it Mother Teresa or Madhuri Dixit, he has handled his subject with equal ease.

In this picture, Hussain has created urban fear by distorting the face of a well dressed office going urban man. It seems to convey the fear of the urban life, where people live in isolation and insecurity. Then we find one hand with fingers spread, haunting the man. The hand looks like a hand of an angel or some unseen force. Urban life has its share of phobias and human beings have to face it alone!

A self-taught person, Hussain’s paintings has remained an integral part of contemporary Indian art. Just as people wait for the next movie from their favorite director, people eagerly wait for the next series of paintings from Hussain. In June 2007, he received back his paintings worth 50 Crores INR from his former friend. In May he was selected for Raja Ravi Varma award by the Kerala Govt.

He is the global face of Indian art.

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