A master painter, a colourful persona, a filmmaker with a difference, a lover of the most expensive cars on earth, a painter who preferred to walk barefoot-Maqbool Fida Husain was an enigma even to those who knew him best.
M.F. Husain's was an inspiring story of rags-to-riches. Through it all, he remained a true artist, whether painting hoardings, designing furniture or making films. That Husain was one of the greatest artists in the world is beyond doubt. His expression of creativity can be seen not only in his paintings but also in the love he had for the places and people that shaped his legendary status.
In this richly photographed book, Pradeep Chandra pays tribute to M.F. Husain, an artist who he has been photographing for decades. Chandra paints a picture of the man behind the artist in an attempt to understand the legendary painter through his work, installations, cinema, family, friends, the women who inspired him and his undying love of art. It celebrates the life of a great artist and a great man, whose passing has left a lacuna in the world of art and in the lives of those who love and admire him.
Photographer Pradeep Chandra is also a writer and a painter. As a photo-journalist, he has been associated with The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Times of India, The Indian Express, The Week and The Sunday Observer, to name just a few.
Some of his memorable shows include The Alien Insiders, his documentation of the plight of Kashmiri refugees; Haveli Dreams, on the havelis of Rajasthan; a tribute to the Taj Mahal Hotel and an exhibition on the children of Kamathipura. He has participated in several art camps and group shows in India and abroad. He has previously authored a coffee table book on Amitabh Bachchan, titled AB The Legend: A Photographer's Tribute.
Chandra currently lives in Mumbai and is working on a book on the city.
Maqbool Fida Husain: the name conjures a plethora of ideas and stories in the minds of people who are aware of his legendary status. A master painter, a colourful persona, a filmmaker with a difference, a lover of the most expensive cars on earth, a painter who prefers to walk barefoot-Husain is an enigma even to the ones who know him best. That Husain is one of the greatest painters in the world is beyond doubt. Many scholarly books have been written in an effort to understand and explain the great painter's art. This book has a different focus. It seeks to document the many facets of Husain, the man behind the painter.
M.F. Husain's is an inspiring story of rags-to-riches. Through it all, he has remained a true artist whether painting hoardings, designing furniture, making films or indulging in cooking. Maqbool's expression of creativity is found not only in his paintings but also in his love for places and people that shaped his legendary status. There are so many incidents in his life that shed light on his painting, his interests, his personal life and his pains. I have tried to capture the nuances of this multifaceted painter through these vignettes from his life.
Husain saab, as he is often respectfully addressed, is a great raconteur. 1 have had the privilege of knowing him and interacting with him over many years. Husain has also spoken at length on various issues in the course of innumerable interviews he has given to journalists and the many cover stories that have featured him. I have tried to paint a picture of the man behind the painter from these sources. The attempt is to understand the legendary painter through his work, installations, cinema, museums, women, friends and his undying love of art.
Through his ninety-five years, Husain has maintained a child-like curiosity and enthusiasm for living. On the occasion of his 90 birthday, he asked all his friends to gift him a lollipop! Similarly on his 94th birthday, in the US, he got ninety-four jalebis, a sweet and syrupy Indian dessert to celebrate the occasion. Like a child, a Pandora's Box opens for him at the start of every new day, full of wonder, surprise and colours. The book seeks to capture this boundless energy that keeps Husain saab going.
The book is intended to be a pictorial tribute to Maqbool Fida Husain.
As a professional photojournalist, I have captured the various moods of Husain saab on camera for over three decades.
M. F. Husain was on the cover of my very first issue as Editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India. I thought of him as a logical choice: he was well-known, so well known in fact, that even people who had only seen the outside walls of art galleries would recognise the familiar locks and the flowing beard. Besides this, he was colourful and provocative and aroused passionate reactions In short, ideal cover material.
Having made that decision, the next question was what visual to put on the cover? The man himself (he is terribly photogenic) or one of his paintings? If the latter, which one work from his huge output? Then it struck me: it would be neither of the above. The cover would feature, instead, one of the aspects of the painter everyone knew about: his bare feet.
Then the chase began. "A photo session with Mr Husain?" his people asked helpfully. "Certainly, but he left for Calcutta just two days ago." The Calcutta number responded with, "Oh, but he's already left Calcutta!" Where was he headed? Possibly Bangalore, but they weren't sure. We tried Bangalore. As far as they knew, he was in Chennai...
And so it went, a wild Husain chase, the painter dashing in and our of towns as his fancy took him, sometimes telling people where he was going, at other times, just getting into a cab, heading to the airport and vanishing into, say Hyderabad, from where someone would ring to say, "Husain saab is here."
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