(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Raynald C Rivera | The Peninsula
Doha: The first large scale exhibition of India's most celebrated 20th century artist of international acclaim M. F. Husain never fails to take the breath away of every art lover that visits Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.
The quintessential show of the late artist dubbed by Forbes as the ‘Picasso of India' features an stunning assortment of over 100 works spanning more than 60 years and showcasing his versatility and fluency in art, with pieces ranging from oil and watercolour painting to lithography and serigraphy to installation and film.
Launched on Wednesday, the exhibition titled M. F. Husain: Horses of the Sun will impress art connoisseurs and enthusiasts until end of July through its three sections namely Bait, Manzil and Dar teeming with works representing the artist's varying concept of home. In many of his works, the artist had always had penchant in depicting the lively and free spirit of horses and had considered himself a global nomad.
'Each of the three exhibition spaces was conceived based on the concept of home as defined by Husain. He saw himself as a global nomad so his idea of home is different from the normal idea of what we define as home, Mumbai-based poet, art critic, and cultural theorist, Ranjit Hoskote, curator of the exhibition, told reporters at a media preview.
In the first section, Bait (house) the pieces on display relate to Husain's childhood memory and his ancestral country which is Yemen, among others. One of the more interesting pieces here is a 1950 oil painting titled 'Doll's Wedding, one of his early works which celebrates childhood play and traditional Indian weddings.
The second section, Manzil (goal or destination) explores the artist's curiosity on religion, science, culture and knowledge, specifically Islamic and Indian civilization. Among the works showcased here are paintings he did during his stay in Doha in the later part of his life. In one of the paintings 'The Last Supper of the Desert in Red created in 2008, Husain looks at the iconic Leonardo da Vinci painting as heavily coded with symbols that needed to be broken down and he un-codes it in Arabian perspective, said the curator.
Dar (door, gateway or court), the final section, delves into Husain's quest for understanding the concept of ‘belonging,' hence the collection comprises a tapestry of diverse artworks depicting his experimentation of different media and disciplines such as collage, textiles, sculpture, architecture and film. Shown here is his award-winning short film 'Through the Eyes of a Painter, a 17-minute documentary which was not reportage or investigative but a cinematic poem, Hoskote explained.
The exhibition concludes with a quote from Husain which says: 'Take life with you, take creation with you. If you have to keep moving, take the whole world with you.
MENAFN2303201900630000ID1098293394
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.