Page 92 - Pundole's Auction M0015

46 #
SYED HAIDER RAZA
1922?–?2016
Les Lumieres de la Ville
Oil on canvas
1963
51¼ × 38¼ in. (130 × 97 cm.)
Signed, dated and inscribed ‘“P-477”63/ F60’ on reverse
??1,50,00,000?–?2,50,00,000
$ 223,880?–?373,135
PROVENANCE:
Galerie Lara Vinci, Paris
LITERATURE:
A. Macklin, ed., S.H. Raza Catalogue Raissone 1958–1971
(Volume 1), New Delhi, 2016, p.?100, P477, illustrated.
The title of this large, impressive landscape from 1963
literally translates to Lights of the City. While it may refer to use of colour to communicate the artist’s message. The
a cityscape in spirit and memory, the work itself has lost all
vestiges of representation and is instead a testament to
Raza’s ability to manipulate colour to create a surface that
radiates with energy and light.
In 1962 Raza had the opportunity to visit California and
teach for a few months at the University of California at
Berkeley. By his own admission, the visit to the United
States, and its resulting exposure to the revolutionary
changes that were taking place in the artistic community on
both the East and West coasts, had a profound impact on
his work. ‘In California I found that I shared affinities with
the work and ideas of Hans Hofmann. There I discovered
the works of Sam Francis and of Mark Rothko, which came
as a revelation. Discussions with some of the professors
and painters in Berkeley stimulated me, both in matters of
technique and theory.’ (Conversation with S.H. Raza, Geeti
Sen, Bindu: Space and Time in Raza’s Vision, New Delhi,
1997, p.?57)
Of the artists he met, Raza found a shared purpose with
Hans Hofmann, an artist who ‘based his theories on a belief
in the universal laws which governed both nature and art…’
(ibid., p.?75) Hofmann worked on the principle that ‘pictorial
space’ or the space of the canvas was, in fact a two-
dimensional space, distinct from the world around us. This
difference allowed for the existence of a ‘spiritual reality on
90
the canvas’, thereby creating a new dimension through the
act of painting. This is further understood through his
theory on the effects colour has on human beings. ‘The
creative possibilities of colour are not limited to plastic
expression… the reciprocal relation of colour to colour
produces a phenomenon of a more mysterious order. This
new phenomenon is psychological. A high sensitivity is
required in order to expand colour into the sphere of the
surreal without losing creative ground. Colour stimulates
certain moods in us. It awakens joy or fear in accordance
with its configurations. In fact, the whole world as we
experience it visually, comes to us through the mystic realm
of colour. Our entire being is nourished by it. This mystic
quality of colour should likewise find expression in a work of
art.’ (ibid., p.?76)
The ideas expressed above did find resonance with Raza’s
artistic philosophy, as it was around this time that most
recognisable elements disappear from his canvas.
Whereas his earlier works used vibrant brushstrokes and
thick impasto paint to create semi-abstract works with
hints of houses, mountains and trees, the works of this
period have lost all semblance of forms. They rely entirely
upon the pulsating, energetic brushstrokes and distinctive
mood of the painting takes precedence over the subject
depicted. The title of the work may indeed help in
establishing a context or evoking particular memories for
both artist and viewer, but it is entirely dependent on the
formal aspects of the painting – the brushstrokes and the
colours, to create the mood and a positive viewing
experience. ‘It is the brushstroke which now assumes
importance, to create this mood. The vibrancy of colour
becomes a sensuous and physical presence, applied with
a boldness that defies the need for subject matter – and for
all else that mattered in a painting… Having imbibed the
modernism of Europe, be brings to this the underpinnings
of another realm of colour sensation. He now allows the
first impression to be filtered through his emotions.
Returning to that statement made by Hofmann, Raza’s
paintings are no more formal constructions; the now
exude that powerful combination which is described by
Hans Hofmann as that “harmony of heart and mind”.’ (ibid.,
pp.?76–79)