We
must get rid of all our politicians and let new blood take over,
M.F. Husain
Blasts in my city left me feeling shattered
Madness & Husain-ity
7 Dec 2008, 0000 hrs IST, PURNIMA SHARMA ,
TNN
He’s the name that’s become synonymous with both Indian
art abroad, and controversial art in India.
MF Husain’s work is part of a three week-long exhibition
due to begin at a gallery in London, called Indian Highway, and
while the mood there is one of celebration, there will be some
voices that will express anger over the Mumbai terror attack.
One of these voices is that of Husain. “It makes me so
angry. Why are we letting our country suffer like this?”
he asks. And the whole world, he says, has been looking at India
for quite some time now “because so many exciting things
are happening in India.” But when misfortune strikes, like
it did last week, “everyone gets affected. And they’re
wondering how we’re going to tackle this menace.”
Husain’s participation in the London exhibition will be
with a painting entitled Rape Of India. “It’s my expression
of anger. I completed it in two nights. The news of the blasts
in my city left me feeling shattered. We must get rid of all our
politicians and let new blood take over,” he says.
Husain mentions how everyone in London is quite excited about
the exhibition on India. “Everything about India excites
people here, and anything Indian is in.
The country’s art scene has been looked at so closely for
the last 30 years.” And this augurs well for the young artists
who, Husain says, “now move around in swanky cars.”
A far cry from the time he spent his days as a young artist. “I
remember, in the years around 1947-48, a cup of tea would cost
2 paise. Since we couldn’t really afford that, my artist
friends like Souza and I would often buy just one cup and share
it,” he laughs. But he warns that with the Indian art scene
doing so well these days, “the younger lot on the art scene
shouldn’t take things for granted but must continue to work
hard.”
What is helping Indian art make its presence felt in the world
market are the exhibitions being organised and, of course, the
auction houses “that are giving a positive image of Indian
art to the world.” Adds Husain, “The Indian art scene
is being looked at as a collective whole, even though there may
be different variations and modulations to it. And what’s
more, even the folk forms of art and music are still alive and
continue to be vibrant.”
About the kind of themes that are popular abroad, the artist
says, “Anything that’s to do with India sells, like
I keep saying. And it needn’t originate from India –
it can be done anywhere. The bottomline is that it should have
an identity. That’s important.” And Indian art inspires
respect anywhere in the world, “except perhaps in the US.
There, the man on the street may not even know where India is!
But Germans are very fond of our art,” informs Husain, adding
that, contrary to the common perception, Indian art is not necessarily
popular with the NRI crowd. “Art lovers across the world
are recognising the fact that the art from our country has its
own identity and is making a mark everywhere with its style and
themes. They can see that many dynamic experiments are being done
in India as against Europe which has become stagnant.”
A film buff who enjoys good cinema, both Indian and Western,
Husain is planning a history of Indian cinema on canvas. “It’ll
be titled From the silver silence of Dada Phalke to the golden
dazzle of Gajagamini,” he informs, adding that he’s
already made some panels of about 30X15 feet on the subject.
