MF Husain

Patna, June 9: The death of renowned painter Maqbool Fida Husain, who was the country’s international face of 20th century art, has left his fans and budding artists in the state capital in total shock and grief.

The students and teachers of College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, held a condolence meeting on the college premises today.

Few might know that Husain had visited the college thrice, as part of his visit to Patna in 1968, then in 1982 and the last time in 2003. He had also apprised the work of the budding artists and the students of the college during his visits.

Former principal of College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, Shyam Sharma, recounted the day when Husain visited an art exhibition put up by Sharma at Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai.

Sharma said: “When Husain reached the exhibition, he asked me whether I was the art teacher. He said he was very impressed with my work, which prompted him to ask such a question.”

Sharma had conducted an exhibition of his artwork at Jehnagir Art gallery in Mumbai in 1994.

Sharma said Husain had close association with artists from Bihar, particularly from Patina. The first time he visited the state capital was in 1968 when he organised an exhibition at College of Arts and Crafts.

“Husain had painted a horse and through it he tried to portray the inner energy of the animal,” said Sharma.

During that time Husain had made a series of horse paintings. Husain had also organised three film shows — Mudra, Artist Sketchbook, and Through the Eyes of a Painter — in Patna. The film shows dealt with various subjects. In Through the Eyes of a Painter, Husain tried to bring out the life of the people living in the desert areas of Rajasthan. He widely used umbrellas, lantern (lamp). The film was also awarded the Golden Bear Award.

Husain next visited Patna in 1982 for a brief period. Even this time, he met the students and teachers of the art college. That time Husain also visited the Ganga and spoke of making a documentary film on the river. However, because of some technical reasons the work could not be completed.

The last time Husain visited Patna was in 2003. He had come to the city on the invitation of Taxila Education Society, which runs Delhi Public School. During his stay in Patna, the artist had organised an exhibition of his works dealing with Goddess Saraswati.

Atul Aditya Pandey, the principal of College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, said: “The death of Husain will bring a vacuum in modern art. Husain had started making paintings from cinema posters and he will always be an inspiration for all the artists of the country.”