ON THE ABSTRACTION OF ‘SACRED’ FORMS
IN THE ART OF M.F. HUSAIN
Siddarth V. Shah

In all parts of the world and throughout history, both religion and mythology have served as major inspirations to artists. The art of the ancient world is filled with countless representations of deities from pantheons that have long since entered the realm of “dead religions”—their forms and stories are familiar to many but gone are the days in which they were honored and venerated. A unique challenge arises, however, when a living religion’s mythology is represented in visual art, particularly contemporary art; artists often face harsh disapproval by conservatives who do not wish to see their spiritual traditions revisioned in a modern visual language. M.F. Husain, an internationally-acclaimed painter, has strived since 1947 to develop an artistic style that pulls from traditional cultural materials while commenting directly on the contemporary world.
My intention in this article is

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