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The Teacher and the Taught
"One who attempts to teach on the mere basis of reference is an instructor. One who combines the referential knowledge with his logic and tries sincerely to experience the ultimate and teaches only what he has experienced is a teacher or Acharya. But, a Guru is one who has the absolute experience of truth and hence, complete knowledge. And such a person himself will become a source of reference and the ground of logic for others. Hence, every Guru is a teacher or rather 'The Teacher'. Because, only the one who has experienced the truth in full, is authorized to teach it to others."
Yogasharya Venkatesh
Paradoxes, pluralities and hybridities. These are recurring leitmotifs, that appear whenever we consider the question of what constitutes 'Indian'. Right from the dawn of civilisation, from the Indus-Harappan period moving into the twenty-first century, India has never been constant. Turbulent, constant and phlegmatic by degrees, India has been in a state of constant flux. A flux, which is very much a part of its own inherent consciousness.
Sayed Haider Raza is one of India's great icons. Founder of the Bombay Progressives, Raza rose like a meteor in the modernity of Indian art and in the contemporaneity of Indian art he stands as a metaphor for timelessness. Time and again on his frequent annual visits to India, Raza speaks of the inner vitality and inner dynamism of India. The energy, the spirit and quintessence of the land of his birth dominate his personal space, from which emerges his external space, the canvas. At the turn of the century Raza's visits have become more and more frequent. It is towards India that he looks for his creativity to unfold.
He is an artist who is exploring the quintessential spirit of what it is to be an Indian. He has created a personal language through spirituality, colour and abstraction. An abstraction very different from the abstract expressionism of the west rooted in the spirit of India.
He is absorbed with simple elementary forms which speak a universal language, and yet are symbols and metaphors for his own visual vocabulary. Beginning with the 'bindu' which was his introduction to art by his school teacher Nandlalji Jhariya in the village of Kakaiya, the 'bindu' has a variety of meanings for him. From the 'shoonya' which is the unmanifest to the 'bindu' which is the manifest, the circular form is the beginning and the end for Raza. And it is these simple, not simplistic metaphors that dot his personal visual vocabulary.
Raza began with an enchantment with the western world, western landscapes, figurative constructs that gradually evolved into a uniquely personal vocabulary. Like a 'yogi' like a 'sadhak' a person striving towards excellence, Raza pursued his artistic vision relentlessly. Time and space had a magnetic draw for Raza. Time in the Indian context, of circular, the bindu, spaces of geometricity of yantra.
Pure forms, pure colour are a recurring theme in Raza's work. The impact of colour is direct and emotional, which is one reason colour can form the basis of a universal system of symbolism that goes beyond the narrow confines of language. Particularly within the framework of traditional Indian aesthetics, colour is imbued with deep symbolism. Raza exploits colour with extraordinary acuity and an almost painful insight. Each colour almost describing a state of emotional being. Colour has been explored and celebrated throughout the length and breadth of India from the glorious caves at Ajanta to the contemporary Indian artist's peculiar sensitivity and understanding of tints and hues. From the age of the Mughal Miniatures, where the essence of the Indian miniaturists' visual expression lay in the idea of symbolism, often employing colour as the vehicle of expression to the colour symbolism that was to draw its inspiration from Tantrik ritual in Pala painting, it is Raza who stands apart as the undisputed master of hues. Colour symbolism is a distinguishing trait of the Tantra art form. Different elements and hypothetical feelings are ascribed symbols of different colours in Occultism. White, red and blue are the principal colours with a particular figure assuming the symbol to describe different feelings according to its colour. Tantrik Art is thus unique in its provision for independent colour expression with reference to diverse symbols. It is easy to put the label of 'tantrik' or 'neo tantrik' to his work, but for Raza it is the elements which engage him. He exists in that forgotten realm where labels have no meaning or purpose. A dance of poetry, music and colour is described in canvases that celebrate the full-blooded delight and joy in discovering colour and form, their myriad possibilities, the various 'avatars' or emanations, moods and temperaments that lead the viewer into the artist's secret space. A painter who has retained his Indian sensibility in spite of several decades spent on foreign shores, his is an impassioned language of colour and form. His images are discoveries on a fundamental theme: the mapping out of a metaphorical space in the mind, which is India.
Traversing with colour was the beginning of Raza's oeuvre and it is still the high point in his work. His preoccupation with colour and form remains steadfast but the manifestations change along the path. The journey begins with lush fecund landscapes. The rare human figure dissolves into the background, a cog in a greater wheel. Luxuriant greens, shimmering ultramarines, scorching yellows and ochres, clement oranges, mysterious purples, searing reds and van dykes, calm blues, virginal whites and warm creams echo the colours of the Indian countryside.
The journey continues with an air of supreme self-confidence, a concretisation of purpose. Sacredness appears, sanctity, absorption, a reverence to his medium and colours, which are his tools of expression. Raza's art practice now is characterized by an almost deafening quiet, a calm composed of clarity and lucidity, as stark and austere, as it is uplifting and restful. The premeditation and foresight that are the particular hallmark of this most gifted of artists achieve a pinnacle of realization. Colours ebb and flow away with the conviction of experience, taking with them their distractions and temptations. What remains is a profoundly ascetic, silent image that resounds with a frequency all its own.
As part of a natural progression, the master seeks to bestow the knowledge so hard won to a new generation. One that will take the teacher's learnings and chart a new course. The connections between Sujata Bajaj and Raza are tenuous but the underlying thread is one of spirituality, of the deeply introspective quality that Raza has imparted to
Sujata.
The Guru-Shishya Parampara harks back to ancient India and is the very soul of India's oral tradition. It embodies the living and learning relationship between master and pupil. Evolving from the era of the great Indian seers, the tradition signifies the complete emotional, intellectual and spiritual surrender of the deserving shishya to the guru. 'Gu' translates as dark and 'Ru' as light. Thus, 'Guru' is interpreted as 'darkness to light,' or one who leads from darkness to light. Guru is a teacher or spiritual mentor who guides the shishya (student or disciple) from sightlessness or ignorance to bliss, wisdom, and enlightenment. The relationship between the guru and the shishya is one of all-pervading learning and complete trust, born out of the shishya's total surrender to the universal glory of the art. To the shishya, the guru symbolises the art itself, while for the guru, the shishya signifies the continuity of the art. The guru shares the sacred knowledge of the art only with kindred souls, sincere in their quest.
Frequent experimentation has been one of the constants in Sujata Bajaj's artistic journey. From ceramics, fiberglass sculptures, terra cotta, fabric printing, printmaking, woodcutting oil painting to now working with mixed media and acrylic on canvas Sujata is invariably experimenting and changing. Much like Raza constant reinvention would seem to be a given. There is yet another continuous thread which pervades their practice i.e. energy.
Straddling continents and societies she is as much of a wanderer as Raza. Living in Norway with her husband and daughter, working out of Paris and now exhibiting in India brings a certain global perspective and art practice. India serves as a point of reference and departure with her work describing colour, rhythm balance, harmony, coupled with a sense of spirituality and serenity. Paper works possessed of a strong and dynamic energy highlighted with text. A meditative ambiance and introspective yet inviting window to an exotic realm beckons and invites further investigation. Childhood memories, verses and prayers, letters and images are voiced through her skilled manipulation of a diverse range of media. Understated and subtle, her works allow for a freedom of interpretation and reading.
Much like Raza Sujata's earlier work revolved around the theme of energy, it has continued to be her preoccupation, but now colour subsumes all else to emerge as the principal determinant. Dark undertones highlighted with and accented by bold and vibrant reds and yellows create an interesting melange. Her work is rendered distinctive by the employment of text as an essential part of the composition. With the text drawing from such significant tomes as the Gita, Vedas, and those of Kabir among others, the sense of spirituality and purity that is the common thread between these two distinct artists finds another form of articulation.
Indian tribal art serves as a source of inspiration adding to her passion for and appreciation of spontaneity, simplicity and authenticity in art. Her tenure in Paris allowed her to explore her artistic vision to the fullest. Permeated with historicity, beauty and a certain joie de vivre so unique to that city, Paris stokes her artistic fires. It was S.H. Raza who was the catalyst for Sujata. It is to him that she attributes her pictorial understanding, and a deeper appreciation of colour, line and form as inextricable elements of an artwork.
Sujata is in a constant process of evolution and development in the struggle to articulate her unique artistic vocabulary. While Raza has not had a direct influence on her work, his teachings and guidance have resulted in an overlapping and spill over of aesthetics and the fundamentals of art.
Her inspirations are many but all of them draw from her childhood and days in Jaipur, Pune and the wonderful years spent in the city of Paris. Sujata Bajaj crosses boundaries within mediums. Borders blur and merge resulting in a coming together of seemingly divergent aesthetics. She achieves an extraordinary balance, imbibing and distilling the essence of three diverse and distinct geographical spaces whilst remaining and perhaps only reaffirming a powerful connection to India. A trait that would seem to be unique to both Raza and Sujata.
Both S.H. Raza and Sujata Bajaj are linked by their deep connection to terra firma, their shifting of boundaries and spaces, and the literal crossing of geographical spaces. The vitality and energy that is so quintessentially Raza is transmuted in the works of Sujata, there is an exchange of ideas, their relationship may not fall within the strict parameters of the master and the disciple or perhaps even the guru shishya parampara, however there is an indelible link between the two. An intense feeling for each other's work, a sense of empathy and constant interaction and a sensitivity that defies time and space.
Dr. Alka Pande
Art Historian
Dr. Alka Pande is a Reader in the Department of Fine Arts, Punjab University. Presently she is working as an Art Consultant and Curator at the India Habitat Centre. She lives and works out of New Delhi as an author and independent Curator.
S. H. Raza
Solo Exhibitions
1947-1948 Bombay Art Society, Bombay
1950 Institute of Foreign Languages, Bombay
1958-1961-1962-1964-1967-1969 Galerie Lara Vincy, Paris
1959 Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay
1959 AIFACS Gallery, New Delhi
1959-1960 Galerie Dresdnere, Montreal
1962-1968 Galerie Dresdnere, Toronto
1962 Lanyon Gallery, Palo Alto, California, USA
1962 Worth Ryder Art Gallery, Berekeley, University of California, California, USA
1963-1968 Dom Galerie, Cologne, Germany
1968 Tecta Galerie, Dusseldorf, Germany; Gallery Chemould, Bombay
1972 Abbaye du Pommier, Anncy, Le Grenier, Roquebrune-village
1974 La Palette, Trouville
1975 Galleria Matuzia, San Remo, Italy
1976 Jehangir Art Gallery, Gallery Chemould, Bombay; Stavanger Kunstforening Galerie, Norway
1977 La Tete de I'Art, Grenoble
1978 'Utsav', Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad, Bhopal; Jehangir Nicholson Museum, National Centre for Performing Arts, Bombay
1979 Stavanger Kunstforening, Norway
1980 Galleriet, Oslo
1982 Galerie Loeb, Bern, Switzerland; Galerie J.Y. Noblet, Grenoble
1984 Gallery Chemould, Bombay
1985 Galerie Pierre Parat, Paris
1987 La Tete de I'Art, Grenoble
1988 Gallery Chemould, Bombay; Galleri Koloritten, Stavanger, Norway
1990 Gallery Chemould, Bombay
1991 Galerie Eterso, Cannes; Retrospective: 1952-91, Palais Carnoles, Musee de Menton, France
1992 Jehangir Nicholson Museum, National Centre for Performing Arts, Bombay; Parcours des Arts, La Louvesc, France
1994 L'Artotheque d'Entreprise, Group Michel Ferrier, Echirolle, Grenoble
1997 Roopankar Museum of Fine Arts, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
Group Exhibitions
1948 Progressive Artists Group, Bombay
1951 Salon de Mai, Paris
1952 Galerie Saint-Placide
1953 Galerie R. Creuze
1956 Biennale de Vencie; Les Arts en France et dans le Monde, Musee d'Art Moderne, Paris
1957 Biennale 57, Pavillion de Marsan, Paris; Exhibition organized by the Journal Asahi, Tokyo
Transferences, Zwemmer Gallery, London
1958 Biennale de Brugges; Biennale de Sao Paulo; Trends in Contemporary Painting from India, Graham Gallery, New York; John Moore's Exhibition, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
1959 Gallery 59, Bombay
1960 Ecole de Paris 1960, Galerie Charpentier, Paris; Modern Indian Art, Santiago, Trinidad and Mexico
1961 Ecole de Paris 61, Galerie Charpentier, Paris; Galerie Semiha Huber, Zurich
1962 Ecole de Paris 62, Galerie Charpentier, Paris; Werke der Ecole de Paris, Dom Galerie, Cologne; Commonwealth Exhibition, Commonwealth Institute, London; Gallery 63, New York Salon Comparaisons, Paris
1963 Grands et Jeunes d'Aujourd'hui, Paris; Salons Comparaisons, Paris; Biennale du Maroc, Rabat
1964 Biennale de Menton
1965 Realites Nouvelles, Paris; Promesses tenues, Musee Galliera, Paris; Art Now in India, Newcastle, UK
1966 Biennale de Menton; Salon Comparaisons, Paris
1967 Silver Jubilee Exhibition of Chemould, Bombay
1968 First Triennale, New Delhi; Biennale de Menton; Terres des Hommes, Festival International, Montreal
1971 Recherche et Expression, Montermeil; Art et Fer Blanc, Paris
1972 Biennale de Menton; Realites Nouvelles, Salon Grands et Jeunes d'Aujourd'hui, Recherche et Expression (Ploumanach, Orly, Paris); Gallerie d'Arte Pietra, Milan; Wolfgang-Gurlitt Museum, Linz, Austria
1973 Estampes Contemporaines, Musee de Menton; Galleria Matuzia, San Remo; Biliotheque Nationale, Paris; Indian Contemporary Painters, Renwich Gallery, Washington; Pacific Cultural Museum, Pasadena, California, USA
1974 Premier Salon International d'Art Contemporain, Paris; Salon Grands et Jeunes d'Aujourd'hui; Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi
1975 Sahel Palais de l'Europe, Menton
1976 Biennale de Menton
1977 Indiennes, Musee de Vire, Galleri Koloritten, Stavanger, Norway
1978 Pictorial Space, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; Salon de Dessin, Paris; Vieux Presbitaire, Gorbio, L'Estampe Aujourd'hui, Bibliotheque Nationale; Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain, Grand Palais, Paris
1980 6 Kunstnere, Fra Syd-Franksike, Stavanger Kunstforening, Norway
1981 Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
1982 Contemporary Indian Painting, Royal Academy, London; 'India, Myth & Reality', Aspects of Modern Indian Art, Musesum of Modern Art, Oxford, UK
1983 Salon de Mai, Paris; Bibliotheque Nationale, Luxembourg
1984 J.Y. Noblet, Paris
1985 Artistes Indiens en France, Foundation Nationale des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques, Paris
1986 Contemporary Indian Art, Chester Herwitz Family Collection, Festival of India, Grey Gallery, New York; Indian Art Today, The Phillip's Collection, Washington; Biennial, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal
1987 Galerie La Tete de I'Art, Grenoble; Biennial of Havana, Cuba; 'Coups de Coeur', Halles de L'ille, Geneva, Switzerland; Contemporary Indian Art, Christies Auction for Help-Age India, Bombay
1988 Maison de la Culture, Space Andre Malraux, Reims, France; The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Olympiad, Seoul, Korea; Art for CRY, Bombay, Bangalore, Calcutta, Delhi
1989 Salon de Mai, Grand Palais, Paris; Artistes Indiens a Paris, Galerie Cygne, Paris
1990 L'Artotheque d'Entreprise, Group Michel Ferrier, Echirolle, Grenoble
'Realite Seconde', Galerie Ariane, Paris
1991 'State of Art', Paintings with Computer, Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay; Ceramics, 'Faenza Anni of International Modern Art, Calcutta; 'Indian Encounter', Nehru Centre, London; 'Souvenir d'en France', Lalit Kala Galleries, New Delhi
1994 Salon de Mai, Espace Branley, Paris
1995 'Sept Peintres Indiens Contemporains', Le Monde de I'Art, Paris; Contemporary Indian Art, Sotheby's, New York; Festival d'Avignon, France; Contemporary Indian Painting, Christie's, London; 'Tree of my life', Village Gallery, New Delhi
1996-97 Contemporary Indian Painting, Sotheby's, New York; Harmony Show, Nehru Centre, Bombay; 'Les Oceans', Metropolitaine, Lisbon, Portugal; 'Within the Frame', Visual Art Centre, Hongkong; Progressive Artists Group, National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai; 'Chamatkar', The Indian Metaphor, Whitleys Art Gallery, London
Museums
Musee National Art Moderne, Paris
Musee Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Musee de Grenoble
Baroda Museum, India
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
Central Museum, Nagpur, India
Musee Ein-Arod, Israel
Asia Society, New York
Musee de Menton
Bibiliotheque Nationale, Paris
National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
Jehangir Nicholson Museum, Mumbai
Musee Hors du Temps, Pierre-Feu Sur, Nice
Roopankar, Museum of Fine Arts, Bhopal
Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi
Centre for International Contemporary Arts, New York
Chester and Davida Herwitz Family Collection, Worcester, USA
L'Artotheque d'Entreprise, Group Michel Ferrier, Echirolles, France
Fonds Regional d'Art Contemporain, La Reunion
Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan
Awards
Raza was awarded the Prix de la Critique, in Paris, in 1956. He has been represented in the International Biennales at Venice, Sao Paulo and Menton and in the Triennale at New Delhi.
He was awarded the Padma Shri by the President of India in 1981 and was elected Fellow of Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi in 1983. He has also been awarded the Kalidas Samman, from the Madhya Pradesh Government.
Sujata Bajaj
First Class First in : B.A. and M.A. (Art and painting).
Ph.D. in Fine Arts. : Thesis on Indian Tribal Art.
French Government Scholarship, 1988-89.
Studied at Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts, Paris.
Worked in Studio Claude Viseux, Paris.
Achievements
Chancellor's Award, S.N.D.T. University, Mumbai.
State Art Award, 1979, 1984, Maharashtra
Outstanding Young Person of Pune, 1982.
Outstanding Young Person of Maharashtra, 1983
Painting selected in 1985 for inclusion in the National Collection.
Best painting award, Nasik Kala Niketan, 1986.
Selected for International Youth in Achievement, 1986, Cambridge, U.K.
Bombay Art Society Award, 1991.
Raza Foundation award 2003.
Talks on Tribal Art
George Washington University, Washington DC.
Princeton University, Princeton.
American Cultural Society, Washington.
London and Hartland, U.K.
Commonwealth Centre, Edinburgh, U.K.;
Centre d' Accueil des Etudiants du Proche-Orient, Paris.
Mandapa, Paris.
Ulster University, Belfast, U.K.
Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts, Paris.
Individual Shows in India
1978, 80, 82, 84, 85, 87 Bal Gandharva Art Gallery, Pune.
1979,87 Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery, Mumbai.
1979,80,84,89,92,96,2000 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai.
1982 Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta.
1985, 95, 2002 Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi,.
1986 Taj Art Gallery, Mumbai.
1987 Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishath, Bangalore.
1988 Sarala's Art Centre, Chennai.
1991 Birla Academy, Calcutta.
1991, 93, 95, 2002 Apparao Gallery, Chennai.
International individual shows
1988 Commonwealth Art Gallery, Edinburgh, U.K.
1988 Mac-Robert Art Centre, University of Stirling, U.K.
1988 American Cultural Society; Washington, U.S.A.
1989 Centre d'Accueil des Etudiants du Proche-Orient, Paris, France.
1989 Galerie Jean Louis Voisin, Pourville-sur-Mer, France.
1989 Galerie Bernanos, Ministère de Education Nationale, Paris, France.
1991, 94 Galerie Christine Marquet de Vasselot, Paris, France.
1992, 93, 95, Galerie Art & Data, Frankfurt, Germany.
1993 Maison de Norvège, Paris, France.
1993, 97,2000 Galleri Nordstrand, Oslo, Norway.
1994 Galerie Argile, Bruxelles, Belgium.
1998 Galerie Mohanjeet, Paris.
1998 Galleri Akern, Kongsberg, Norway.
1999 Stavanger kunstforening, Norway.
1999 Atlantic Gallery, New York, USA
2000 Varatun Gård, Sandnes, Norway.
2001 Galleri Tendenes, Stavanger, Norway.
2002 Galleri Sult, Stavanger, Norway.
Participation in National Exhibitions
Lalit Kala Akademi, Bombay Art Society, Lalit Kala
Exhibitions.
Nasik Kala Niketan, State Art Exhibitions.
Hyderabad Art Society, All India Exhibitions of Fine Arts.
1989 Indian Eclectics, Lalit Kala Galleries, New Delhi.
1993 Souvenirs d'en France, Lalit Kala Galleries, New Delhi.
1998 - 99, White on White, New Delhi and Mumbai.
1999 S.H.Raza and Sujata Bajaj, Gallery 7, Mumbai.
2000, Sacred Space, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai.
2003 Shanti Path, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai.
Several group shows.
Participation in International Exhibitions
1988 L'Exposition de Peinture Contemporaine Indienne, Tarbes, France.
1989 Galerie de la Maison des Beaux-Arts, Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris.
1989 Artistes Indiens à Paris, Galerie du Cygne, Paris.
1989, 90, 91 Salon Art en Bray, Neufchâtel en Bray, France.
1989 La Société Plurielle Egalitaire, Galerie Bernanos, Paris.
1989 Neuf Artistes de la Cité Universitaire, C.I.U.P, Paris.
1989 Salon de mai, Grand Palais, Paris.
1991 New York Art Fair.
1991 Salon des Indépendants Normands, France.
1992 Galleri Bryggen, Bergen, Norway.
1992 Gallerie Christine Marquet de Vasselot, Paris.
1992 University of Frankfurt, Germany
1992 Salon Découvertes, Grand Palais, Paris.
1993 Contemporaines, Grand Palais, Paris.
1994 Ausstellung Indische Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany.
1995 UNESCO, Paris.
1996 Within the Frame Visual Art Centre, Hong Kong.
1998 50 years of independence, Hong Kong.
1998 Indian Spring, Hong Kong.
2000 Galerie Claude Lemand, Paris.
2001 Indian Contemporary Fine Art, Los Angeles.
2002 Apparao Galleries at Art Singapore.
2002 Art contemporain a Boulogne - Billancourt "L' Inde tout de suite" France.
2002 Belles Etrangeres Inde Galerie des Editions Catacteres, Paris.
Sujata has worked with different art forms and media such as etching, woodcut, sculpture, metals, cold ceramic, fiber-glass, metal etc. Presently she is working with mixed media and acrylic. Her works are included in national and international, private and public collections.
© 2003 The Guild. All rights reserved.
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