New Delhi: France-based Indian artist Sayed Haider Raza died on Saturday. He breathed his last in Delhi. The news of his death has come as a shock for the artistic fraternity of the nation, and across the globe. He died at the age of 94.
Raza made a mark for himself among the international painters due to his innovative use of colour and oil paints. His works had a deeper meaning and often involved elements of Indian cosmology or philosophy.
Raza spent a major portion of his life in France, where his work was deeply respected. In July 2015, he was awarded with the highest civilian honour of France – Commandeur de la Legion d’honneur. This legion of honour could be considered as the utmost amount of respect the European nation could offer to any of the artists.
His most notable work related to India is Saurashtra, which resembles the beauty of the eastern belt of Gujarat.
Raza was born in 1922 to a middle class family in Madhya Pradesh’s Majuli. Since an early age, he had the craving for art. In 1946, he won the Silver Medal of Bombay Art Society. His work became noticed across colonial India. In 1950, he was provided an opportunity to study in France with the French government sponsoring his study. After refining his skills at the institution of École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Raza did not look back. He spent the remaining of his professional life in France, briefly returning after his semi retirement.
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:indiatoday.intoday.in)
