Overview for A Life in Art: S.H. Raza
Syed Haider Raza is widely recognized as one of the undisputed masters of modern Indian art. Living in Pairs for more than half a century, he has combined in his art the French ‘le sens plastique’ and a deeply rooted Indian vision. From painting landscapes and cityscapes, he has moved to explore inscapes, the inner reality through the inner eyes. His art fuses sensuous colours with luminous spiritual grace. This is the most comprehensive book to appear on the long life and the rich artistic career of the great master. It covers, in both verbal and visual terms, the struggles, dynamics and vision of Raza. Written and edited by Ashok Vajpeyi it carries nearly hundred colour-reproductions of paintings, many sketches and drawings, rare photographs, press-clippings and many hand-written pieces by the master. The book also contains extracts from many French, German and Indian critics and a lot of up to date information about his life and art. Specially published to coincide with Raza completing 85 years of age, the book celebrates, both intellectually and visually, a classic of art in our times.
Ashok Vajpeyi (Editor)
Ashok Vajpeyi (born 1941) is an eminent Hindi poet, lover of arts and a dynamic institution-maker. For his poetry he has received the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Dayavati Modi Kavi Shekhar Samman and the Kabir Samman. He has published more than thirty books in Hindi and English. Book-length translations of his Hindi poetry have appeared in English, French, Polish besides Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu etc. For his cultural contribution he has been honoured by high civilian awards 'Officier de I'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres' by Govt. of France and 'Krzyzem Oficerskim Ordrnu Zaslugi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej' by Govt. of Poland. Among the many institutions he founded the Department of Culture, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, the multi-arts centre Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal and the central university Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University are well-known. A close friend of many artists, writers, musicians and dancers, he has written extensively on many masters including the legendary musician Kumar Gandharva and the painter Sayed Haider Raza. He lives in New Delhi and, besides poetry, is working on a book in English on Hindustani Classical music and another in Hindi on Kabir anhd Ghalib.
Bagchee
