Accession Number2015/2.21
TitleGrey Landscape
Artist(s)Sayed Haider RazaArtist NationalityIndian (South Asian)Object Creation Date1963Medium & Supportoil on canvasDimensions 23 1/4 in x 19 1/2 in (59.06 cm x 49.53 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Richard H. ShacksonSubject matterAs one of the founders of Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group (1947), Raza strove to disconnect contemporary Indian painting from the European realism that overwhelmed Indian academic painting and create a greater connection to "Antar gyan" (inner knowledge). This painting was produced once he had settled in Paris, after receiving a grant from the French government to study at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1950-1953). Works like this combine expressionist painterly techniques with a depiction of idyllic lanscapes—Raza was particularly enamored by the landscapes of the French countryside. Pointing to the more pure abstraction of his work after 1970, this painting shows the development of Indian modernism away from any colonial references.
Physical DescriptionThis oil painting has an abstract composition at the lower right with clusters of white patches against a black and deep blue background. The painting is signed and dated (l.c.) "Raza '63".
Primary Object Classification Painting Primary Object Typeabstract landscapeCollection AreaModern and ContemporaryRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
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Keywords
Indian (South Asian)
Modernist
Nature
abstraction
landscapes (representations)