Laasya Art
  • Home
  • ABOUT
  • ART FORMS
    • CONTEMPORARY ART
    • FINE ART PRINTS
    • TRADITIONAL ART
  • Artists
    • A. RAMACHANDRAN
    • ANJOLIE ELA MENON
    • ANURADHA THAKUR
    • BASUKI DAS GUPTA
    • BHARTI PRAJAPATI
    • DEEPA VEDPATHAK
    • J NIRANJAN
    • JAGANNATH PAUL
    • JAMINI ROY
    • JATIN DAS
    • JE SHEN
    • KALAMKARI ART
    • KANDI NARSIMLU
    • LAXMA GOUD
    • MADHURI BHADURI
    • MAQBOOL FIDA “M.F.” HUSAIN
    • MITHILA ART
    • NISHANT DANGE
    • OM SWAMI
    • RAMESH GORJALA
    • SAYED HAIDER “S.H.” RAZA
    • SEEMA KOHLI
    • SENAKA SENANAYAKE
    • SUDIP ROY
    • SUJATA ACHREKAR
    • SWATI PASARI
    • THOTA VAIKUNTAM
    • VINITA KARIM
    • VIVEK KUMAVAT
  • Collector’s Guide
    • BLOG ON INDIAN ART
    • COMMISSIONING ARTWORK
    • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
    • ART ADVISORY
    • ART CARE
    • ART BUYING TIPS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • RESOURCES
  • CONTACT
  • Home
  • ABOUT
  • ART FORMS
    • CONTEMPORARY ART
    • FINE ART PRINTS
    • TRADITIONAL ART
  • Artists
    • A. RAMACHANDRAN
    • ANJOLIE ELA MENON
    • ANURADHA THAKUR
    • BASUKI DAS GUPTA
    • BHARTI PRAJAPATI
    • DEEPA VEDPATHAK
    • J NIRANJAN
    • JAGANNATH PAUL
    • JAMINI ROY
    • JATIN DAS
    • JE SHEN
    • KALAMKARI ART
    • KANDI NARSIMLU
    • LAXMA GOUD
    • MADHURI BHADURI
    • MAQBOOL FIDA “M.F.” HUSAIN
    • MITHILA ART
    • NISHANT DANGE
    • OM SWAMI
    • RAMESH GORJALA
    • SAYED HAIDER “S.H.” RAZA
    • SEEMA KOHLI
    • SENAKA SENANAYAKE
    • SUDIP ROY
    • SUJATA ACHREKAR
    • SWATI PASARI
    • THOTA VAIKUNTAM
    • VINITA KARIM
    • VIVEK KUMAVAT
  • Collector’s Guide
    • BLOG ON INDIAN ART
    • COMMISSIONING ARTWORK
    • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
    • ART ADVISORY
    • ART CARE
    • ART BUYING TIPS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • RESOURCES
  • CONTACT
sonia2022-03-21T17:55:53-05:00

THE BINDU SERIES: THE COMPLEX GEOMETRY OF S.H. RAZA

The works of Indian Modernist artist S.H. Raza have been widely appreciated for their bold colors and profound symbolism that is deeply rooted in Indian culture. The ‘Bindu’ specifically has been something I have been particularly drawn to in Raza’s prints, and I found that the more I learned about his thoughts behind his signature motif, the more I wanted to know.

Hence, we reached out to Sandhya Bordewekar, a leading art writer and historian, for her point of view. She is an independent curator and has written extensively on contemporary Indian art for national and international media over the last three decades.

 

Artist S.H. Raza hand signs Panchatatva, one of his limited edition serigraphs.

 

There is a story, probably apocryphal, that when the young Sayed Haider Raza was an inattentive boy in school, his exasperated teacher drew a large dot on the blackboard and asked Raza to concentrate on it to stop his mind from wandering about! That’s where his fascination with the Bindu apparently came from. However, it was not until 1980 that the Bindu actually made its way from the blackboard to the canvas and forever established itself as a Raza signature.

Raza formally studied art at the J.J. School of Art, Mumbai from 1943 to 1947, and afterwards he was an active part of the Progressive Artists’ Group formed post-Independence that tried to explore a more international visual language for contemporary Indian art. In 1950, he traveled to France on a scholarship, married a French artist and made the country his home. His original love for the lush forests of his childhood, expressed in his early soft watercolor landscapes, was carried on in his depictions of the picturesque French countryside that populated his paintings. These works show a Cubist influence that, according to Raza, brought “a sense of order and proportion in form and structure in his work.”1

In 1959, Raza visited India for an exhibition, and it roused his curiosity about his Indian heritage. Perhaps by then the romance with European art styles had waned, and he was looking for a visual language that came organically to the person he was and his ancestry. He began to move away from the Cubist style and figurative forms and started experimenting with evocative gestural strokes, colorful and with a strong emotional appeal. The gestural strokes slowly came together as geometric abstraction, brightened by his fabulously deft use of colors and control of basic drawing.

 

Raza’s serigraph Nagas, which features a central Bindu and a vibrant red color palette, catches the eye in this client’s foyer.

 

At this critical time, it was the Bindu that emerged out of Raza’s growing restlessness with his own work and a deep desire to find new directions. It represented the seed, a natural symbol of fertility, the cyclical nature of the seasons, the circle of life and death that cannot be broken. Spiritually, it signified a powerful source or seat of energy and creation, a point of meditation. Raza has himself described the Bindu as a “…visible form containing all the essential requisites of line, tone, color, texture and space.”2

In fact, the Bindu is believed to have been an artistic ‘re-birth’ for Raza. His interest began to extend into a deeper study of Indian philosophy, of abstract concepts of time, sound and space, and the challenge of depicting them on canvas. This led to the appearance of Tribhuj, or the triangle, signifying the male and female energies (prakriti-purusha), the inverted triangle symbolic of the womb and the upward triangle that of germination of the seed. His paintings became a complex play of metaphysical landscapes that saw geometric forms of the circle, triangle and line bursting forth with color, tracing vivid patterns across paper and canvas.

 

S.H. Raza, Panchatatva, Serigraph in 52 colours on archival paper, Paper size: 40 x 74 inches, Image size: 33.5 x 67 inches, $2,500 – $5,000.

Contact Gallery
View More Artworks

Let us look at three of his very popular fine art prints that encompass most of the stylistic features of art by S.H. Raza as it developed and matured. Panchatatva is a three-part work dominated by the black powerful Bindu as the energy center, flanked by the elements of Prakriti (the inverted triangle, signifying germination and fertility) and Purusha (the elongated oval with the five colored Bindus) on either sides. It is interesting to see that the subject of the work — the Panchtatva, or the five natural life elements of Bhoomi (earth), Vayu (air), Jal (water), Agni (fire) and Akasha (ether, sky) — is represented by thick and thin lines of colors that basically make up Raza’s color palette — black, red, blue, yellow and white.

 

S.H. Raza, Surya Namaskar, Serigraph in 38 colours on archival paper, Paper size: 40 x 72 inches, Print size: 34 x 68 inches, $5,000 – $7,500.

Contact Gallery
View More Artworks

Surya Namaskar is Raza’s salutation to the Sun God, symbolized by a complex interplay of abstract imagery that progresses from the dark overtones at the bottom that get lighter and brighter as they rise to the top, much like the rising sun brightening up the world. In which case, you might wonder why has Raza painted the Sun Bindu such a dark black? Because black also stands for the life-giving oneness of the Sun!

 

S.H. Raza, Surya and Naga, Serigraph in 43 colors on archival paper, Paper size: 40 x 74 inches, Image size: 34 x 68.5 inches, $2,500 – $5,000.

Contact Gallery
View More Artworks

In Surya and Naga, Raza takes the symbolism of the Bindu further, coiling it in the form of a black-blue Naga — the serpent, another metaphor for fertility and sexuality. The Sun here is a bright, blazing yellow Bindu, contrasted with the cooling fluid blue of water, symbolic of the feminine element. But both are life-nurturing, speaking of rejuvenation, re-birth and the continual cycle of life.

 

The vibrant colors of Raza’s serigraph Sapta Ras create a stunning entrance to this client’s home.

 

Raza has said, “My work is my own inner experience and involvement with the mysteries of nature and form which is expressed in color, line, space and light.” In the last two decades of his life, when he returned to India forever, his world revolved around exploring their infinite nuances in his studio.

— Sandhya Bordewekar

References:
1. Artist quoted in Geeti Sen’s, Bindu: Space and Time in Raza’s Vision, New Delhi: Media Transasia Ltd., 1997, p. 57
2. Ibid. p. 134

LATEST POSTS

  • Interview With Contemporary Indian Artist Sudip Roy
  • Art Buying Tips For Beginners
  • M.F. Husain’s Chinese Scroll Series
  • The Bindu Series: The Complex Geometry of S.H. Raza
  • Interview with Contemporary Indian Artist Nishant Dange

Categories

  • Commission Art
  • Contemporary Art
  • Modern Art
  • Traditional Art
Share:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Get In Touch

For more information or inquiries,
please contact us at
(P) + 1 (650) 770 – 9088
(E) info@laasyaart.com

        

Paintings can be viewed at our
Palo Alto gallery by appointment only.

To sign up for our newsletter, please complete the form below:



    Laasya Art gallery is known for contemporary Indian and tribal art. We work with a wide range of recognized Indian artists to offer original paintings, prints and other works for sale, as well as commissioned artwork. Paintings shown on the website are available to browse and buy online as well as to view in person at the gallery’s Palo Alto location. Art collectors come to Laasya Art gallery not only from nearby cities like Saratoga, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park and Hillsborough within the San Francisco Bay Area but also from New York City, Seattle, Dallas, Houston and Chicago. If you are visiting Silicon Valley, we encourage you to stop by for an appointment- only tour to view our highly curated collection of original Indian art.

    © Copyright 2021. LAASYA ART, All Rights Reserved.

    Terms & Conditions  |  Privacy Policy   |  Sitemap

    We use cookies on our website to provide you with the most relevant experience as well as for analytical purposes. By continuing to browse or clicking "Accept," you consent to the storing of cookies on your device.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT

      Send message to gallery


      To : Laasya Art


      Artist: MADHVI PAREKH


        Send message to gallery


        To : Laasya Art


        Commission Interview Sudip Roy - Blog


          Send message to gallery


          To : Laasya Art


          M.F. Husain - Blog


            Send message to gallery


            To : Laasya Art


            S.H. Raza - Bindu Series Blog


              Send message to gallery


              To : Laasya Art


              Nishant Dange - Blog


                Send message to gallery


                To : Laasya Art


                Commission Bharti Prajapati - Blog


                  Send message to gallery


                  To : Laasya Art


                  Commission Bharti Prajapati - Blog


                    Send message to gallery


                    To : Laasya Art


                    Commission Senaka Senanayake - Blog


                      Send message to gallery


                      To : Laasya Art


                      Commission Jagannath Paul - Blog


                        Send message to gallery


                        To : Laasya Art


                        Commission Ramesh Gorjala - Blog


                          Send message to gallery


                          To : Laasya Art


                          Commission Nishant Dange - Blog


                            Send message to gallery


                            To : Laasya Art


                            Commission Anuradha - Blog


                              Send message to gallery


                              To : Laasya Art


                              ART ADVISORY


                                Send message to gallery


                                To : Laasya Art


                                DEBASISH DUTTA - Blog


                                  Send message to gallery


                                  To : Laasya Art


                                  SWATI PASARI - Blog


                                    Send message to gallery


                                    To : Laasya Art


                                    Artist: DEBASISH DUTTA


                                      Send message to gallery


                                      To : Laasya Art


                                      Artist: JAMINI ROY


                                        Send message to gallery


                                        To : Laasya Art


                                        Artist: ANJOLIE ELA MENON


                                          Send message to gallery


                                          To : Laasya Art


                                          Artist: J NIRANJAN


                                            Send message to gallery


                                            To : Laasya Art


                                            Artist: JATIN DAS


                                              Send message to gallery


                                              To : Laasya Art


                                              BASUKI DAS GUPTA - Blog


                                                Send message to gallery


                                                To : Laasya Art


                                                SENAKA SENANAYAKE - Blog


                                                  Send message to gallery


                                                  To : Laasya Art


                                                  MADHURI BHADURI - Blog


                                                    Send message to gallery


                                                    To : Laasya Art


                                                    Artist: MADHURI BHADURI


                                                      Send message to gallery


                                                      To : Laasya Art


                                                      Artist: ACHUTAN "A." RAMACHANDRAN


                                                        Send message to gallery


                                                        To : Laasya Art


                                                        MITHILA ART - Blog


                                                          Send message to gallery


                                                          To : Laasya Art


                                                          Artist: SENAKA SENANAYAKE


                                                            Send message to gallery


                                                            To : Laasya Art


                                                            VINITA KARIM - Blog


                                                              Send message to gallery


                                                              To : Laasya Art


                                                              JAGANNATH PAUL - Blog


                                                                Send message to gallery


                                                                To : Laasya Art


                                                                SHIPPING WORLDWIDE


                                                                  Send message to gallery


                                                                  To : Laasya Art


                                                                  ORIGINAL ART COMMISSIONS


                                                                    Send message to gallery


                                                                    To : Laasya Art


                                                                    COLLECTING ART BLOG


                                                                      Send message to gallery


                                                                      To : Laasya Art


                                                                      Serigraphs - Blog


                                                                        Send message to gallery


                                                                        To : Laasya Art


                                                                        BHARTI PRAJAPATI - Blog


                                                                          Send message to gallery


                                                                          To : Laasya Art


                                                                          Artist: KANDI NARSIMLU


                                                                            Send message to gallery


                                                                            To : Laasya Art


                                                                            Artist: JAGANNATH PAUL


                                                                              Send message to gallery


                                                                              To : Laasya Art


                                                                              Artist: JE SHEN


                                                                                Send message to gallery


                                                                                To : Laasya Art


                                                                                Artist: MITHILA ART


                                                                                  Send message to gallery


                                                                                  To : Laasya Art


                                                                                  Artist: KALAMKARI


                                                                                    Send message to gallery


                                                                                    To : Laasya Art


                                                                                    Artist: VIVEK KUMAVAT


                                                                                      Send message to gallery


                                                                                      To : Laasya Art


                                                                                      Artist: VINITA KARIM


                                                                                        Send message to gallery


                                                                                        To : Laasya Art


                                                                                        Artist: UMAKANT TAWDE


                                                                                          Send message to gallery


                                                                                          To : Laasya Art


                                                                                          Artist: THOTA VAIKUNTAM


                                                                                            Send message to gallery


                                                                                            To : Laasya Art


                                                                                            Artist: SWATI PASARI


                                                                                              Send message to gallery


                                                                                              To : Laasya Art


                                                                                              Artist: SUMANA CHOWDHURY


                                                                                                Send message to gallery


                                                                                                To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                Artist: SUJATA ACHREKAR


                                                                                                  Send message to gallery


                                                                                                  To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                  Artist: SUDIP ROY


                                                                                                    Send message to gallery


                                                                                                    To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                    Artist: SREEKANTH KURVA


                                                                                                      Send message to gallery


                                                                                                      To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                      Artist: SENAKA SENANAYAKE


                                                                                                        Send message to gallery


                                                                                                        To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                        Artist: SEEMA KOHLI


                                                                                                          Send message to gallery


                                                                                                          To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                          Artist: SAYED HAIDER “S.H.” RAZA


                                                                                                            Send message to gallery


                                                                                                            To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                            Artist: SACHIN JALTARE


                                                                                                              Send message to gallery


                                                                                                              To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                              Artist: RAMESH GORJALA


                                                                                                                Send message to gallery


                                                                                                                To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                                Artist: OM SWAMI


                                                                                                                  Send message to gallery


                                                                                                                  To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                                  Artist: NISHANT DANGE


                                                                                                                    Send message to gallery


                                                                                                                    To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                                    Artist: MAQBOOL FIDA “M.F.” HUSAIN


                                                                                                                      Send message to gallery


                                                                                                                      To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                                      Artist: LAXMA GOUD


                                                                                                                        Send message to gallery


                                                                                                                        To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                                        Artist: DEEPA VEDPATHAK


                                                                                                                          Send message to gallery


                                                                                                                          To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                                          Artist: BHARTI PRAJAPATI


                                                                                                                            Send message to gallery


                                                                                                                            To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                                            Artist: BASUKI DAS GUPTA


                                                                                                                              Send message to gallery


                                                                                                                              To : Laasya Art


                                                                                                                              Artist: ANURADHA THAKUR


                                                                                                                              United States