Lot 123
  • 123

Sayed Haider Raza

Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description

  • Sayed Haider Raza
  • Bindu 
  • Signed, dated, titled and inscribed 'RAZA / 1992 / "BINDU" / 60 X 30 cm / Diptyque / Acrylique sur toile (1); Signed, dated, titled and inscribed 'RAZA / Bindu / Diptique [sic] - 1992 (2)' on reverse 
  • Acrylic on canvas; diptych 
  • 11⅞ x 11⅞ in. (30 x 30 cm.) each; 23½ x 11⅞ in. (60 x 30 cm.) overall
  • Painted in 1992

Provenance

Acquired from Apparao Galleries, Chennai circa 1995 

Condition

Minor wear and associated loss along the corners and edges for example in the bottom right of the red panel and top left of the black panel. Two faint reddish lines on the black panel (bottom) and a green mark on the yellow corner of top panel are inherent and also visible in the catalogue illustration. This work is in very good condition, as viewed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

In the 1970s, Sayed Haider Raza's work underwent a dramatic transformation - he moved from expressionistic landscapes to more non-representational works where essence took precedence over realistic form. By the mid-1990s, Raza’s paintings had become tightly ordered geometric compositions that were closely related to the ancient artistic diagrams and the philosophical theories that they represent. The current paintings are extraordinary examples of the artist’s signature meditations on the bindu and themes of elemental and energy significance. In Vedic Sanskrit, Bindu literally means a drop or a point and he asserts that the Bindu is 'a focal point of concentration, a concept which is steeped with the potential and wisdom of generations.' (G. Sen, Bindu, Space and Time in Raza’s Vision, Media Transasia, New Delhi, 1997, p.126)
Color is another dominant component of Raza’s oeuvre. His pre-occupation with nature stemmed from his childhood memories spent in the forests of his native village of Babaria, in Madhya Pradesh. His use of primary colors highlights the elements of nature; red, blue, yellow, white and black comprise fire, water, wind, earth and the sun. These elemental and energy references were a distinctive feature of these paintings. He utilizes points, lines and diagonals to 'explore the forces that control the sacred order in the universe, and to express these forces.' (ibid., p. 137)