Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922)

Acquired privately by the current owner in 1964-65

Fair overall condition. A few areas of paint lifting most notably in black center left, black impasto center, and red impasto lower center. Would benefit from paint stabilizing. Areas of craquelure to red and white impastos in center and lower center of canvas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any stat.mes nt made by Replica Shoes 's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The current work from 1959 by Syed Haider Raza, Noël (Christmas), is highly emblematic of the artist’s canvases from this period. Raza painted the French countryside in the riotous hues of the Indian miniature, in a style which fused the Modernist.mes taphor with his frenetic exploration of color and his musings on abstraction. Raza would later refer to his own style as ‘lyrical abstraction’. 

Receipt of the prestigious Prix de la Critique in 1956 (Raza was the first foreign-born artist to receive this award in France) afforded Raza both international recognition and the freedom to leave Paris for extended periods of t.mes to travel throughout his beloved French countryside. Of these personal journeys, Raza explains:

“ … The chapels, churches and crosses [of the French countryside] touched me very deeply. I wanted my paintings to express the feeling of fervor and human tension that burned within me,” (Raza rpt. Imbert, Raza: An Introduction to his Painting, Delhi, 2000, p. 37).

Raza combined these impulses to forge a unique idiom where space and color inform each other. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, he turned for inspiration to Provence and the Marit.mes Alps, creating an explosive, expressionist body of work of which the present work is a fine example. As French art critic René Barotte once wrote: “From an Indian miniature, [Raza] draws out a French landscape!” (von Leyden, Metamorphosis, Bombay, 1979).

Compare the diagonal composition and abstracted architectural elements of the present work with other works from the same period—such as Eglise (1958) and Village au Soleil (1958). Also compare the degrees of abstraction with two works from the current sale, Village (1959, lot 75) and Village á l’ombre (1963, lot 61).