Art is surely a gift of God and one of the most beautiful forms of ex-pression. Blessed with this endowment is one such artist who needs no introduction. His name is a metaphor to contemporary Indian art and his paintings speak for themselves. With his feet well grounded in the traditional roots and a mindset so open and fierce, he has become one of the most prominent figures in the Indian art industry. He is none other than Maqbool Fida Husain, more popularly, M.F.Hussain. He is one of the most enigmatic artists of India who is known for his vigorous appreciation of the human circumstances and the traces of it can be found in his masterpieces.
Born in 1915 at Pandharpur in Maharashtra; Hussain comes from a traditional Muslim background. As a child, Hussain learnt the art of calligraphy and loved to read poetries while he resided with his uncle in Baroda. After painting many countryside landscapes and completing his schooling in Indore, Hussain decided to move to Mumbai to make his career in art. He joined the J.J. school of arts and started to earn his living by painting billboards for feature films. In 1947, Hussain won an award for his paintings at the annual exhibition of the Bombay art society and this marked the beginning of a vibrant colorful career ahead waiting for this art maestro. Hussain did a lot of art experimentation in his early years by blending different ethnic and mythological themes to create luminous art forms.
His creativity, style and innovation in paintings have made him reach the acme in Indian art. F.N. Souza, a member of The Progressive Artist's Group, which was formed to give new dimensions to Indian art, invited Hussain to become a member of it in 1948. By 1955 Hussain went on to become one of the foremost artists in India and was awarded the grand ‘Padma Shri’. In 1971, Hussain was invited along with Pablo Picasso at the Sao Paulo Biennial. Apart from the several solo exhibitions, Hussain has many studios in major metropolitans of the country. In 1973, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, in 1989, the Padma Vibhushan and finally was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1986. Hussain has also made feature films, like "Through the Eyes of a Painter" and "Gajagamini”, the former winning the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival. Hussain has also written lyrics for two songs of the film Meenaxi:
Born in 1915 at Pandharpur in Maharashtra; Hussain comes from a traditional Muslim background. As a child, Hussain learnt the art of calligraphy and loved to read poetries while he resided with his uncle in Baroda. After painting many countryside landscapes and completing his schooling in Indore, Hussain decided to move to Mumbai to make his career in art. He joined the J.J. school of arts and started to earn his living by painting billboards for feature films. In 1947, Hussain won an award for his paintings at the annual exhibition of the Bombay art society and this marked the beginning of a vibrant colorful career ahead waiting for this art maestro. Hussain did a lot of art experimentation in his early years by blending different ethnic and mythological themes to create luminous art forms.
His creativity, style and innovation in paintings have made him reach the acme in Indian art. F.N. Souza, a member of The Progressive Artist's Group, which was formed to give new dimensions to Indian art, invited Hussain to become a member of it in 1948. By 1955 Hussain went on to become one of the foremost artists in India and was awarded the grand ‘Padma Shri’. In 1971, Hussain was invited along with Pablo Picasso at the Sao Paulo Biennial. Apart from the several solo exhibitions, Hussain has many studios in major metropolitans of the country. In 1973, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, in 1989, the Padma Vibhushan and finally was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1986. Hussain has also made feature films, like "Through the Eyes of a Painter" and "Gajagamini”, the former winning the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival. Hussain has also written lyrics for two songs of the film Meenaxi:
