Sourya

In the late 1970s, Syed Haider Raza's style of painting changed dramatically. Moving away from figuration and the fluid energetic brushstrokes which characterized his work, Raza began to use the elemental form of the circle as a compositional starting point. In a strictly formal sense, these geometrical works seems to bear some resemblance to the Abstract Expressionist paintings of Frank Stella and Jasper Johns. However, while these artists were part of a theoretical discussion on the Formalist movement, Raza's work addresses a more spiritual context. The circle becomes less of a graphical component and more of a central point representing concentrated energy. This circle or bindu manifests itself in various forms throughout Raza's more recent work and is variously interpreted as zero, drop, or seed. In India, the bindu is seen as the point or genesis of creation as well as a focal point for meditation. Formally, it becomes the principle around which Raza structures his canvases with this compositional construct having age-old precedents in meditative aids such as yantras and mandalas. In Sourya, Raza presents an arrangement of shapes and earthly colors which evolve from dark to light, following the natural sequence of night into day. Raza finds harmony in his use of simple geometry and pure color, translating these uncomplicated forms into elegant illustrations of universal equilibrium.