Legendary Indian artist SH Raza passes away at 94

Modern Indian artist S H Raza died in New Delhi on Saturday following a prolonged illness. He was 94.

Raza was suffering from old-age related ailments and was in the ICU of a private hospital for the last two months. 'The end came at 11:AM,' poet Ashok Vajpeyi, who was a close friend of the artist, told PTI.

The last rites will be conducted in Mandala in Madhya Pradesh, according to his wishes.

An internationally acclaimed painter, Raza was honoured with the Padma Shri. He was elected as fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1983.

Raza was known for his 'signature motifs of dots, triangles and circles' that fan across his canvas in the shades of 'pancha tattwa' — the five essential elements — shining in a palette of red, blue, black, orange and yellow.

His works made price history. Hailed as one of the country's most expensive artists, he set a milestone when his work, 'Saurashtra', sold for Rs16.42 crore in an auction at Christie's in 2010.

He began to draw at the age of 12. The artist's association with the 'bindu' goes back to his school days. "I think of Mandla, the Narmada, my teachers of childhood and professors. My art expression now reflects my state of mind, I have always been drawn to Hinduism," he said in an interview with dna.

(With PTI inputs)

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