Dedications

Witty and Hilarious. I agree with every bit of it as I am the same; can't make much sense of such esoteric paintings. Vijay
 

Too good sirji. MFH ki tho uthakar mar di aapne. English bahot high hai, lekin maaja aaya.
 

Well there are several ways to look at it my friend, but are you reacting to art in general, hussain the painter or hussain the muslim? Art takes several forms and shapes, and some works of art are considered valuable because the artist invented either a new style or evolved from an existing one. Hussain, as eccentric and sensationalist (and canny) as he may is largely credited with creating a signature style and language of his own. The world over and through history, art has been not just created to portray life, but to comment on injustice, to protest, to praise. You will find symbolism and statement even in the Vatican collection, and there are numerous stories of artists such as the calibre of Michaelangelo shocking the community with their depictions and paintings in their era. Subsequent generations discover tolerance and learn to appreciate over time. If the masters had not courted controversy and been experimental, perhaps art would not have come as far as it has today. This is true of the human race in general. We evolve and discover from one another. Hussain is a creative individual who experiments across mediums and as is wont with such people, they do have a degree of eccentricity about them...they would be normal otherwise. And i must correct you on one assumption: In reality anything can become art...it depends on how you choose to project it. Michaelangelo, Dali, Picasso all dabbled in more than canvas, all made political statements in their time too. What is deplorable and shameful, is that while we claim to be a modern society and in the 21st century, we can still be held to ransom by a handful of people who choose to target individuals. At what point will it become completely impossible for anyone to voice their opinion or have a point of view, because a faction of people know you are a soft target? Films with dodgy titles would be banned, shops selling particular merchandise would be vandalised...what if somebody woke up and said the jobs you and i do are immoral and damaging to their sensibilities. Painting is Hussain's life, livelihood and source of expression. That people can actually take that away from him is frightening to someone like me, no matter how much money Hussain has made in his career. And it is a source of embarrassment to me as an Indian to see my Government keep mum. For instance, whether i hate or like the film My name is Khan, the circumstances and controversy over its release for a statement made in a sports context is shameful...and a clear example of how we confuse issues in our country. Now, to your next point on whether Hussain would paint his prophet in the nude, rather than a Hindu goddess, is exactly the line of protest and threat that the shiv sena and its associates have taken to vilify the artist. Perhaps its a question one should have asked him before deciding to lynch him. I am willing to bet that not many people have read the Satanic Verses, certainly not the community that rose in protest and pronounced fatwas and edicts calling for Rushdie's head...for god's sake, what's next? PETA renouncing Hussain for painting horses? Muslim actors can only play Muslim characters? A cricket team with players represented by percentage of population? Where would the world be without art? Or culture...or music...or sport...and how different would we be from the taliban if we joined in the condemnation based on race/religion/ethnicity? qatar granting hussain free passage and citizenship is not a sign of their tolerance, but a clever opportunity to signal to the world that they are different from the rest of the arab world - more cultured, educated, tolerant. And Chidambaram's comment and invitation to Hussain is nothing but a save face tactic to cover up for the embarrassment in the international community. On a personal note I don't care much for his paintings - and i do follow art - but if i owned a couple of them...i would be a happy, rich man....cheers...e
 

I agree with you general drift, Sunny. How much of artistic freedom MFH will get in Qatar remains to be seen? Vir Sanghvi has a good take on this in his latest blog
 

i wont attempt to comment on ur style n writing skills as i've alrdy done that many times n say u r flawless in it.. abt the theme of this blog.. u have shown ur usual bold attitude but honestly, i believe that old guy hardly deserves any attention.. surely not frm sensible writers lik u.. it was indeed wrong of him to play wth public n indian emotions d way he did and support ur views.. but u can right on netter topics, sunny which when reached to proper platforms can create ripples n bring about a change for better future :)
all d best :)
 

I can see why you would feel this way, but I really agree with 'Anonymous e...' Art is very personal and artists have to be eccentric otherwise they are just plain boring like us normal folk.

Both You and Anonymous are terribly articulate though. I look forward to more posts, sir!
 

I can see why you would feel this way, but I really agree with 'Anonymous e...' Art is very personal and artists have to be eccentric otherwise they are just plain boring like us normal folk.

Both You and Anonymous are terribly articulate though. I look forward to more posts, sir!