Sayed Haider Raza (b.1922)

Acquired directly from the artist in the late 1990s by a private collector, Mumbai

Acquired from the above

This work is in good condition, as viewed. There are extremely minor pinhole sized accretions scattered across the surface of the artwork.
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Prakriti svamavrashtabya
Vishtajami punah punah

 -Bhagavad Gita, Chapter IX

Prakriti is defined in the Gita as "the primal kinetic force". The verse quoted above, spoken by Krishna to Arjuna, translates as follows: "By virtue of our fundamental nature, creation manifests again and again." 

Prakriti is Sayed Haider Raza's meditation on the sublime beauty and force of Nature. Nature is thrillingly evoked through a myriad of symbols: the tree of life; the kundalini, representing the latent and creative powers of creation through sexual energy; and masculine/feminine forces which are interspersed between chakras or energy fields. The bindu, or seed of life, nestles at the centre and glows amongst these visualizations of the spirit. Raza, master of colours, balances his Prakriti with the associated colours of the five elements - earth, water, air, space and fire.

The current work, executed in 1996, is composed of five sections, each containing an arrangement of brightly painted geometric lines and shapes.  Utilizing bold primary colours and the guiding principle of orthogonality, Raza's exacting methodology recalls the precision and iconographic symbolism of Vedic theology. The bindu or seed, represented by concentric circles, is often paired in Raza's work with the upwards-pointing triangle (the masculine principle) and the downwards-pointing triangle (the feminine principle), suggesting divine union through sacred geometry. The mystical union of diametric opposites - masculine/ feminine, day/ night, constitutes the algebra of Indian metaphysics, and imbues Raza's artistic vocabulary with a mythopoeic directive.

"The mysteries of form," explains Raza, "reveal themselves through light-colour-space perceptions. In a visible energy spectacle, certain fundamental elements are intricately interrelated and determine the nature of form. Their understanding is indispensable in any creative process. Whatever the direction art expression may take, the language of form imposes its own inner logic and reveals infinite variations and mutations. The mind can only partially perceive these mysteries. The highest perception is of an intuitive order, where all human faculties participate, including the intellect, which is ultimately a minor participant in the creative process. This stage is total bliss and defies analysis." (M. Imbert, Raza: An Introduction to His Painting, 2003, p. 68)