M. F. Hussain's paintings on display at Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai

The mention of MF Husain almost always brings back an early memory of intently looking at a painting of a herd of horses for this writer which is a personal testament to the artist being commonly recognised by many for his equestrian subject This week Delhi Art Galleryrsquos DAG Master Maqbool a show of Husainrsquos works presented at Mumbairsquos Taj Mahal Palace will have on display the iconic 12foot untitled black horse by the artist for the first time since it was used as the backdrop for a performance by tabla maestro Zakir Hussain at the Kala Ghoda Festival decades agoMF HusainIt is not the fact that Husain started as a billboard painter that trails the creation of this iconic painting but its sheer scale that fits the largerthanlife artist that he was Kishore Singh senior VP at DAG points out further details of the painting that reiterate the panache with which it has been created He highlights Husainrsquos ability to create a sense of perspective drawing freehand even at that early age of painting cinema hoardings on thenBombayrsquos streets ldquoWithin the black you can see his vivid brush strokes the vitality of the horse the wind in the mane and tail is visible in the way hersquos turning back which is how he painted many of his horses creating that sense of vagility grace movement and momentum You see all of that perhaps more powerfully and graphically because of the blackandwhite palette You notice strong Cubist elements because hersquos broken up the body into several planesrdquo he elaboratesCobra girl acrylic on canvas Pics CourtesyDAGAt the same time Singh notes that while being celebrated as a painter of horses the artistrsquos range of subjects is massive The exhibition will showcase this diversity within 24 artworks from the 1960s to the 2000s This includes an untitled 1960 piece of Rajasthan mdash one of the few landscape paintings that Husain created and a series on toys made in 1975 that throws back to the time when the painter made toy and furniture designs for childrenrsquos nurseries in the early 1940s Singh points us to the three small portraits of a king queen and peasant from the 1960s and says ldquoWith heavy texture and encaustic elements you can almost sense Husain sahibrsquos hand his brush and other elements that give shape to these heads I find that set incrediblerdquoWhat further highlights the diversity of the show is showcasing the large horse painting along with other works While one would typically want to view a large work at a distance putting it in the gallery along the length of a wall and with other works can create a sense of intimacy and build relationships within the eclectic set for viewers to grasp the artistrsquos oeuvre the works held within the showKishore SinghSingh tells us that Master Maqbool offers a chance to celebrate Husain and the city where he established his credentials as Indiarsquos most popular artist Like us he recollects his own memories of the artist including one that goes back to 1982 of Husain climbing up scaffoldings to paint the ceiling of a Delhi hotel sitting on the floor there drinking chai and chatting away Singh concludes ldquoFor me Husain sahib and his practice are inextricably linked with who we are as Indians He brings up aspects of Indian culture and history very powerfully in his work and when you have a body of work that spans a 40to50year journey yoursquore experiencing the story of India through his canvases And I think thatrsquos very important for viewers to remember mdash how closely he knit the story of the country with that of peoplersquos livesrdquoFrom December 16 to midJanuary 2023 11 am to 7 pm Monday to SaturdayAt Taj Mahal Palace Colaba