Cubism and collage

Published Feb. 24, 2010 at 10:15 p.m.
M.F. Husain at Brown, Keith Waldrop at AS220 Project Space
...Maqbool Fida Husain has long been known as one of the grand old men of Indian art...

ABSTRACT SIMPLIFICATIONS Husain’s Chariot.

Maqbool Fida Husain has long been known as one of the grand old men of Indian art. The New York Times refers to the 94-year-old as "India's most famous painter" and one of the "great Indian modernists." In recent years, his notoriety has taken a cruel twist as Hindu nationalists, offended by Husain's nude depictions of Hindu goddesses, have brought obscenity cases against him and attacked his home. The artist, a Muslim, took refuge in Dubai — though there is talk that things may have cooled enough that he is now considering returning home.

"M.F. Husain: Early Masterpieces, 1950s-'70s," at Brown University's Pembroke Hall (172 Meeting Street, Providence, through March 26), is a rare opportunity to see his early works, since modern and contemporary Indian art is still little exhibited in the United States. What you learn is that Husain may be a great man, but he's not a great artist.

In 1947, the year India won independence from Britain, Husain was one of six artists who founded India's Progressive Artists' Group, opening up traditional Indian painting by finding inspiration in European modern art. Husain was particularly taken with Picasso and, as seen in this exhibit, produced Cubist-inspired paintings featuring traditional Indian Hindu subjects — the god Krishna, the goddess Durga, the god Ganesha, and Draupadi, the heroine of the epic Mahabharata.

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