To call M.F. Husain merely the infant terrible of the art world would only be stating the obvious. To him goes the undoubted credit of almost single-handedly making Indian art both aesthetically and commercially acceptable on the world art map where it came to be perceived as a blue chip investment. If Indian art has made its way into museums and serious collections and is a viable investment option, a large part of the credit must go to him. “Creation and creativity is a given, but to present it well is also an art. You are not cheating anyone. When a work of art is done, then it is a product like any other,” he would say.
One of the founder members of the Progressive Artistes’ Group way back in the 50s, he had some very fond memories of the times: “No one wanted to buy our works even for `50! We would try and convince each other to buy some of it — that is, the ones we were not gifting to each other! But in the saga of getting to the top position in the 50s I discovered so many things. It was a fascinating experience. The feeling that I left some work undone followed me. And yet I have never continued in the same genre, for my travelling exposed me to so many new experiences. Earlier my brush was packed with colour and I was painting like the Impressionists. But now there is a shift — also of how I perceive things around me,” he had said.
He would often bash the media yet use it to his advantage. He had created his own rule book and broken each one of them with impunity and even revelled in it! He was constantly in a state of recreating himself, rather like the canvases he painted. Never predictable. Never boring. “There are hundreds of painters — so many of them are mediocre and derivative, but that goes on, it is a part of the market forces,” he would say. He worked simultaneously on three or four different levels. That is also why he could work on two or three different canvases at the same time. “An artist should know the language of painting instinctively. It is the vision that is lacking. Besides, an artist has to have restraint and control. What is the point of sitting in a corner and working on a painting for two years or 20 years? It is totally meaningless if the artist does not have a vision,” he had declared.
A fond father, he never spoon-fed his children. “I think freedom is very important to grow and find your path that is why I left all my children alone — murder chod ke sab kuch kar sakte ho (except murdering anyone, they had the freedom to do anything)! While the boys are joru ke ghulam (hen pecked), my daughters are the ones with spunk — like Shakti!” he quipped. He always discouraged his children from earning their livelihood from art. “It takes the stamina of 40 years to keep the belief in oneself and continue regardless of whether one is accepted or not. And the journey is very tough. Not everyone can do it. In Picasso’s time there were 50,000 artists. Where are they today? Nearly 90 per cent are non-artists. Is art then fraud or Freud?” he had asked.
For someone who started his career as a cinema poster painter, he had indeed come a long way. He believed that painting and poetry which have no fixed repertoire can’t be taught in school. “In this day and age of technology, anyone can paint well; the idea is to paint brilliantly. I remember how I would paint under the lamppost as the cinema posters were too huge to be brought indoors! I don’t necessarily need a studio to paint and can paint even in the open!” Long years spent painting cinema hoardings perhaps led to his obsession with Madhuri Dixit wherein he painted an entire series on her and even turned his attention to film making. The films bombed at the box office but the artist in him wasn’t deterred.
He understood that the arts have shared roots and tried to link painting to other arts like dance, music and theatre. He once painted on the Calicut beach while Pandit Bhimsen Joshi sang Raga Puriya. It was a mesmerising performance that I will never forget.
Husain bristled with barely controlled anger over the state of contemporary art and allegations about his own attention-seeking “gimmicks”. “I do not seek media attention, the media is hungry to give attention and so they give it,” he insisted. That may well be an eminently debatable statement, but it was evident that the artist had not been resting on his laurels. “I am all for global civilisation. The idea is to create an icon of this age that is global. These are no drawing room decorations but strong statements,” he had declared. He was a rebel to the core whose need for freedom was paramount to his being. But was also a charming man, with many women swooning for him. Witty, elegant and debonair, he was well dressed in Bond Street fashion, never mind the bare feet.
His detractors asked whether he could have done the same to the name of Allah in Pakistan. Husain snapped back, “It is the narrow minds who say it. They are totally ignorant of the composite nature of Indian culture. These voices will die down. This is the reaction when any new thing is done. The Renaissance painters and the Impressionists were treated so badly. Now it is the same people who are practically worshipping them,” he said. “There is greater value attached to a thing that has been lost. Memories of it are painful and haunt one much longer than something present. Even there I was asked whether I was doing it to raise the prices of my paintings. Tell me, is it a share bazaar?” For someone who has left behind such a huge body of work, there was that desire to touch perfection again with the next work he was doing. “Artists fall into the trap of repeating whatever they get famous for. In the market it is more valuable — history notwithstanding. I think the latest works are always more important for you grow as a person and consequently as an artist. For the last 40 years, ‘ghode bana raha hoon, aab ghode chod kar hawai jahaz to nahin banaunga!’ (I have been painting horses all these years, so will suddenly not start painting aircraft!) And perhaps it was his ability to constantly move from status quo to change is what kept this wonderful man relevant. Even at 95 and hopefully for all times to come.
Dr Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, artist and curator