“Artists are highly blessed and cursed people. And when they go away like M. F. Husain did, they leave behind a legacy of a lifetime spent creating art works that, despite being scattered across the globe, breathe the spirit of the creator,” said seasoned artist Krishen Khanna releasing “M. F. Husain: A Pictorial Tribute”, a book on the internationally-acclaimed artist M. F. Husain here on Friday.
Mr. Khanna, a close friend of the gifted artist, said he remembered a story about each of the paintings. “Each painting by itself conveys a pictorial language. Husain alone held the distinction of creating a language never seen before,” he said.
Mr. Khanna asserted that Husain's uniqueness could be seen in the special relationships he forged with almost everyone he met; relationships that were neither phony nor founded on mere polite talk. “He was a frank and honest person,” he said.
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“Sometimes I sit with Husain's paintings and communicate with them…Once his exhibition on Madhuri Dixit was being held in a gallery. People were saying all sorts of things about him. I scribbled on the wall: ‘He had but broken knees for hire and a horrible splendour of desire'. When Husain read it, he felt it was apt to be written on his grave,” said Mr. Khanna, adding that he was still trying to come to terms with the fact that his dear friend was no more.
Revealing that the late artist had a flair for language, Mr. Khanna said the artists F. N. Souza and S. H. Raza were once engaged in conversation in English and Husain could barely get the gist of it.
“He realised then that it was important to master the language, and some years later even began to write poetry that was indeed very good,” Mr. Khanna said of his friend.
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Speaking about the book, author-photographer Pradeep Chandra said the photographs cover over three decades of his association with the artist. “He was keen to see the book. I had given him the dummy but sadly he did not live to see it launched. A magnanimous man, he enjoyed celebrating Id with one and all, whether rich or poor,” he said.
Published by Niyogi Books, the book has pictures of Husain with his family, film stars, watching dance performances, and of course doing what he did best: painting.