If art is architecture then he is the architect. If art would take form of a profound man, he is the only intellectual born to take shape of it — justifiably so.
A thousand words cannot do justice to the man, but only reflect his unblemished spirit. Although no one can judge the character of the art manifesto, having lost his mother when he was as young as one and a half years old, he worked arduously to make his own mark and beginning. His character speaks or paints volumes, of pure and subdued truth, much like his art. A man of dignity, gifted with a strong mind bearing humble feet, he is proudly Indian.
"He is a compassionate man, and his close ones marvel at his charismatic disposition," said one of his family members. Sheikhs of the Arab world, such as Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai, among many others, love his inimitable, almost startling real life resemblance of horses on canvas. Yet, there is more to the man than meets the eye. The world respects him for his affable splendor and the magic his hands spread on a canvas. His paintings are equipped to dazzle, engage and absorb you. And, if you listen, his art will talk to you.
A story told by every artist is depicted on canvas. But, what makes him irresistible, are his knowledge and passionate reverence for his country, art and the universe. He is famous for being the "oldest at 97," that I predict is a faulty assertion for he is at his prime. The vivacity of his soul bears resemblance to his knowledge of history but also emanates the endurance of the progression of the world and what his soul carries forth with it. His life now seems to celebrate his constant marking of milestones in history.
Through the eyes of a painter
Husain was born in Pandharpur outside Mumbai in 1915. The artist, whose works have sold for more than figures can value, earned money painting cinema hoardings in his humble beginning in Mumbai. In 1947, his first exhibition was conducted at the Bombay Art Society where his painting, “Sunhera Sansaar,” was shown. His paintings were then showcased in a series of exhibitions all over India from 1948 to 1950 and in the art galleries of Prague and Zurich in 1956. In 1966, Husain was awarded the Padmashree by the Government of India. His first movie, “Through the Eyes of a Painter,” was released in 1967, was shown at the Berlin Festival and won a Golden Bear. Inspired by Amrita Sher-Gil and George Keyt, he turned to fine art in the early 1940s, incorporating Indian and Western thoughts. He then traveled to Europe and New York where he owns a great platform and is known for his photography and filmmaking.
The world is his canvas
Hussain’s large diptych from the Hindu epic, “Battle of Ganga and Jamuna: Mahabharata 12,” sold at Christie's South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale for $1.6 million in early 2008 and engraved his name in a world record. He held a solo exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Massachusetts, US, in 2006 and 2007. According to the New York Times in a sale in September 2008, Christie's described Husain's "Ritual" as "profoundly Indian in scope by referring to traditional sculptural forms, hinting at the colors and structure of miniature painting and drawing from the vibrancy of folk art while at the same time tying village and pastoral themes to those of Indian mythology."
The painting sold for $1,022,500. Achievements by the undaunted painter, includes “Padma Shree” (1955), “Padma Shree” (1966), “Padma Bhushan” (1973), “Padma Vibhushan” (1991), and “Raja Ravi Varma” award from the Indian Government. "The Sao Paulo Biennial in 1971 saw him a special invitee along with Pablo Picasso."
"There is a famous story from the Arabian Nights — Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves — but I am painting Ali Baba and 40 horses. I am the master of one-liners," said Hussain, quoting Ghalib (a famous, misunderstood Indian poet of his time, yet endlessly revered after his death). With his heart in the right place, living through harsh realities doled out to him, he infuses life with humor and flamboyance, occasionally.
An art collection of cars
Husain's collection of cars is a global phenomenon and hits a soft spot with car lovers. A Bentley, a couple of Jaguars, a Ferrari, another Mercedes, a Rolls and now the Bugatti Veyron — bear in mind that it is one of only five in the Middle East and bears his initials! Of course, it is also just one of the fastest road-legal cars in the world, with a top speed of 431.07 km/h.
There is an intriguing showcase and a multimedia installation he is set to finish by March — a 40-minute sound and light performance that brings his work to life. Five horses cast from Murano glass, around six and eight feet tall, will be paired with five of his favorite cars — Bugatti Veyron and a Rolls Royce Phantom, being two of them — on a rotating platform. One of the pieces will be a sculpture of Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machines and the ninth-century aviator, Abbas ibn Firnas. "I want to show how form follows function," he explained.
Art is always dangerous
Husain was "hounded out of India," as per popular sensationalists, after a set of controversial paintings depicting mythological deities in the nude stirred havoc in the minds of the religious conformists. He then graciously accepted Qatar's offer of citizenship promised by Qatar's Sheikha Mozah. The works in question, which a few Indian art critics insist were never really nudes at all, were in fact created in 1970 and are in sync with antediluvian Indian artistic tradition. The scandalous complaints filed against him were dismissed by the Delhi High Court in 2004, but a “Hindu Personal Law Board” offered a dishonorable $11.5 million reward for his death in 2006.
You may take Husain out of India, but you can never take India out of him
Reading one of his interviews, he mentioned it is "mohabbat" (love) that matters to him now. After the explicit controversial, shame-game, people have played against him, it is only through this phrase, that one can delve deeper into the artist’s soul. His art may be significantly the highest value for money, but what is imperative in his existence is that he, himself, is priceless because he is timeless.
"There is no ban on me, I can return to India any time," he said, adding that his lawyers are fighting the three cases (reduced from a devastating figure of 900), but has no intentions of returning for at least another two or three years.
The art of using astounding abilities to create immortal paintings often brings greater results than a conventional genius. Genuine intelligence brushed with strong master strokes of unconventional but also enlightening vision helps make him unforgettable. Famous words of Nehru, on the night when India gained independence, gives voice to the souls of Husain: "When an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance."
Restricting his soul to belong to India would be unfair because he embodies the soul of art that transcends borders of any nation, tradition and religion. Change is in the air. If this era is about revolutionary change, then there is a figure of art we must go back to for retrospect.
The figure, undeservedly controversial, stands tall, famously barefoot always, in the pure form of Maqbool Fida Husain.
