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By Ch. Sandeep Datta
For many art lovers around the world, the death of celebrated Indian painter M.F.Husain today closed one of the finest chapter of Indian art world.
While Husain earned respect of several budding and accomplished artists in India and world for his world-class paintings in abstract art, he travelled his artistic journey from one controversy to another, particularly drawing utter hatred of Hindus.
Ardent Hindus may never forgive M.F.Husain for painting nude portraits of most revered Hindu gods and goddesses. However, many 'forward thinking' and 'open-minded' individuals view his artwork as the masterpieces of a free artist who has risen 'above' religious boundaries or public sentiments.
The main grudge of many Hindus against Hussein remained his bias against Hindu gods and goddesses whom he painted as naked characters but never used the same 'creativity' for Islam-related gods or other revered characters, whom he painted fully-clothed.
People argue a man of his experience and knowledge about India and its dominant population, Hindus, could not have initiated such a nude portrayal of their gods and goddesses unless he was aware of its repurcussions. It would be naive to think the artist of his fame and stature painted them accidently or without getting drawn to its huge scope of controversy at the fag end of his career.
It is clear he wished eternal fame through cheap controversies. He invited trouble after trouble, despite being aware that he would go down as a controversial painter, who would be remembered long after his death no matter with hatred of millions of Hindus or appreciation of a few.
In the 1970s and 80s he was caught up in controversy for painting Hindu goddesses in the buff.
His painting that first triggered public controversy depicted a bare bodied woman who was painted to look like the map of India, perhaps a take on "Mother India" referred to in cinema and literature. In 2000, cases were filed against Husain on the same issue.
In 2008, the Delhi High Court quashed three cases against him that alleged that he had hurt public sentiments though his works some of which were dubbed as obscene. The Supreme Court transferred the cases from Pandharpur (Maharashtra), Indore (MP) and Rajkot (Gujarat) to the Delhi hich Court.
In September 2008, he got a major relief from the Supreme Court, which refused to initiate criminal proceedings against him, for allegedly hurting public sentiments through some of his paintings that were dubbed obscene.
There are many such pictures, paintings and sculptures and some of them are in temples also," a bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan said, dismissing one such petition.
Also, for the past three editions, the India Art Summit held annually in Delhi has witnessed controversy regarding display of Husain's work.
In January, Pragati Maidan witnessed high drama at the India Art Summit, as the celebrated painter's works were first taken off the walls following fears of attacks with right-way activists and then reinstated after an assurance from the Delhi police and the ministry of culture.
Also, during 2008 during the art summit's first edition, organisers refused to showcase Husain works citing not enough police protection. In protest, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) decided to organise an exhibition solely devoted to Husain's work. The exhibition was vandalised.
In 1998, Husain's house was attacked and art works vandalised. Protests against him also led to the closure of an exhibition in London in May 2006. The Asia House Gallery shut down Husain's exhibition "MF Husain: Early masterpieces 1950-70s" after miscreants sprayed black paint on his works.
Husain's film "Meenaxi: A tale of three cites" also courted controversy and was pulled out of theatres after some Muslim organisation raised objections to a song in the film and filed a complaint with the Mumbai police. They alleged the qawali was blasphemous.
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