This may mark the end of an era, an era that was defined by the greatness of intellect and exquisite artistic abilities. Maqbool Fida Husain is no more. He passed away early yesterday. CNN-IBN TV channel quoted a friend, Arun Vadehra, as saying that Husain, often described as India’s Picasso, died at the Royal Brompton hospital in London. His lawyer, Akhil Sibal, confirmed the death to The Associated Press. He was 95.
A self-taught artist, Husain lived an adventurous life.
The stupor of persona merged with controversial brush strokes. Yet tragically, India’s most sought-after painter died in foreign territory. Husain had lived in Dubai since 2006 after receiving death threats from Hindu hard-liners in India for a nude painting of a woman shaped like India’s map, often depicted as “Mother India” in popular arts, folklore and literature.
Husain’s romance with art did not start in a romantic way. An often told story, he used to paint film posters and hoardings to make a living. Every time he managed to save some dough, the young artist used to paint landscapes. And thus, began one of the greatest artistic voyages.
Husain’s artwork may be categorised as Modern Progressive and Contemporary. He joined the Progressive Artists’ Group in 1947. In 1952, his first solo exhibition was held at Zurich and over the next few years, his work gained prominence in Europe and the U.S. The painter was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shree, awarded by the Government of India.
“Art is never chaste. It ought to be forbidden to ignorant innocents, never allowed into contact with those not sufficiently prepared. Yes, art is dangerous. Where it is chaste, it is not art,” said Pablo Picasso.
Always under the controversial light, Husain first came under the scanner after his first controversial artwork was published in 1996. The artwork, which depicted Hindu deities in the nude, was painted in the ’70s. After it was published, the debate over freedom of expression versus hurting Hindu sentiments took an ugly turn and fanatics threatened Husain.
Yet again, in 2006 he was charged with hurting sentiments of people because of his controversial painting “Bharatmata”, and Husain went in to exile.
After numerous incidents of his paintings being taken down from exhibitions, Husain was left with no choice but to leave the country. Later, he was honoured with a Qatar citizenship.
His first film, “Through the Eyes of a Painter”, was shown at the Berlin Festival (1967) and won a Golden Bear. He later made a Bollywood film called “Gaja Gamini” in 2000, featuring his muse Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles. His last film was “Meenaxi: Tale of Two Cities” featuring Tabu.
Husain’s list of muses is endless. The painter saw beauty in the leading ladies of Bollywood. His most famous muse has to be Madhuri Dixit. Interestingly, his latest muse is Mamata Banerjee.
Husain spoke of a desire to return home during several interviews in recent years.
Actress Shabana Azmi, a close family friend of the artist, said that she was “deeply, deeply saddened,” to learn of Husain’s death. She described him as an “iconoclastic painter, a wonderful human being and a very good friend.”
Courtesy of The Daily Star
