Thapar Gallery is currently presenting 'Master Artist A. A. Raiba: A Unilateral Eclectic', an exhibition that revisits the work of Abdul Aziz Raiba (1922–2016), with a focus on paintings and drawings from the 1950s and 1960s. The show, on view till June 21, offers an insight into a period of Indian modernism through the lens of one of its significant modernist voices.
Bringing together a wide range of works, the exhibition highlights Raiba’s engagement with multiple mediums, including murals, jute paintings, reverse glass works, serigraphs, and calligraphy in Urdu and English.
Art historian Shivaji K Panikkar notes that Raiba’s work exemplifies a “multistranded synthesis” within Indian modernism, drawing from Indo-Islamic traditions, European academic naturalism, the Bengal School, and strands of European modernity. Despite these influences, Raiba maintained an independent position, consciously distancing himself from group affiliations and working as a solitary figure.
The contours in his compositions lend clarity and structure, particularly in narrative works.
The exhibition also features landscape sketches from Raiba’s Kashmir travels between 1957 and 1959, capturing impressions of nature with a lighter touch. Complementing this is his methodical use of grids, employed to scale compositions from sketches to larger surfaces with accuracy.
Speaking on the exhibition, gallery director Ashish Thapar said Raiba’s work occupies a “quiet yet powerful place” in Indian modernism, noting its enduring relevance for contemporary audiences.