Some of M F Hussain’s Last Calligraphic Works Go on Show

Some of the last paintings by Maqbool Fida Hussain, an India-born Qatari artist were showcased for the first time in Qatar last evening. The Islamic calligraphy “Between 2 lines” was organized by Doha Bank and Blue Mosaic in association with Sotheby’s. The event took place at the Doha Bank Tower where over 150 guests including diplomats and artists gathered for a private viewing of a suite of paintings and of the screening of a video on the artist directed by his son Owais Hussain, an artist himself and Director of Blue Mosaic, who decided to tell more about his father in a video structured as “a letter to my son about my father”, as Hussain mentioned.

M F Hussain, artist, print maker, photographer, calligrapher, film maker, and painter, known as the Picasso of India, “took Indian and Arab civilization in one form” as Doha Bank CEO R Seetharaman said in his opening speech.

“He started doing calligraphy when he was a child and giving his drawings as a gift to friends and relatives. This was the last set of paintings he has done,” Owais Husain told The Peninsula.

In M F Hussain’s works of calligraphy the letters are not always the subject: the letters seem to be inserted in a context – in that of a landscape with camels and palm trees, or in that of a starry night, for example.

Yousef Ahmad, a Qatari artist and calligrapher also attended the event where two of his works were showcased, “a readable calligraphy and an unreadable calligraphy” as he told The Peninsula.

The peculiarity of these works of art beside the calligraphic contribution is that the paper is made by Ahmad himself by working on Qatari palm trees’ leaves. Passionate about hand-made paper after years spent collecting papers from all around the world, Ahmad decided to make the paper himself from palm leaves from his own land.

“It takes a long time, you have to cut the leaves and then leave them on the sand from six to eight weeks, then you dry it and cook it … it’s a long process” Ahmad said. In his calligraphic works the paper itself looks like a stone on which the letters are carved and you can see the body of the letters emerging from the paper. “The paper is strong and has a long life” he added. Ahmed and M F Husain met during their artistic careers and now having their works of art in one room it makes you see the future of Qatar through art.

“We are looking at the artistic renaissance happening in the region” Owais Hussain said, adding that Blue Mosaic is offering a platform for educational programmes, films, and publishing books, – various initiatives all focused on creating awareness about art. Next event organized by Blue Mosaic is going to take place in Beijing. On November 29 Blue Mosaic is organizing an Islamic calligraphy art forum in Katara with Doha Bank, Sotheby’s, and Katara Art Center.

Source: The Peninsula Qatar