'Husain's work retained a child like quality'

PUNE: City-based artists and painters best remember M F Husain as a genius with a gift of reaching out to the common man; as an artist so lucid and expressive that his work found resonance with even those who knew little of art.
Artist Sujata Dharap termed him a man with courage. "And that courage, that boldness of attitude, was seen in his work. He had a zest for life, tremendous will and energy - attributes that came across in the lines of his work, which were very energetic and powerful.Whatever may be the choice of subject, his symbols and icons connected with people. He worked hard right through life - and on every canvas. Starting off as a movie billboard painter, he would even paint on the streets in the night," she said.
Eminent artist Milind Mulick said: "Apart from his strong sense of design and colour, M F Husain somehow managed to retain a simple, childlike quality in his work. He painted with certain innocence, and that reflected in every piece he did. I wouldn't like to evaluate his paintings in terms of the crores of rupees they raked in - that's no way to measure any art, be it a Picasso, a Rembrandt or a Husain. He had a mastery over his art that few did."
Pandurang Tathe, another reputed city artist, said: "He was quite simply a genius - and that description encompasses everything. Besides, no matter what the other influences in his works, they had a definite Indian character to them," he said. Tathe recollects meeting Husain when the latter visited his studio in the Parvati area to look at paintings done by his fellow artist. "He would say little, but those few sentences had a wealth of information. I also remember the time Husain had painted on a set of three canvases, along with other artists from Pune. I do not remember the exact year, I think it was around 15 years ago and Husain's contribution to the canvas was a Ganapati," said Tathe.
Senior artist Sudhakar Chavan said Husain had the rare ability to embrace every kind of canvas. "Be it a wall or a canvas on the wall, Husain could understand and own every space. Now, that is a very difficult feat, to understand space and gain control over it. Not every one can do it, but Husain could," said Chavan.
"As a person, he was easy to approach, and not very particular about protocol. He would speak to the youngest artist in the room with interest and enjoyment¦ I guess that sense of rootedness, that gift of reaching out to not just the classes, but also the masses, stemmed from his humble beginnings as a painter of billboards. Even those who otherwise understand little about art know who Maqbool Fida Husain was….what greater proof could there be of his connect with the common man?" he said.