AA Raiba: The forgotten modernist

Born in 1922 in Bombay, AA Raiba was a distinctive voice in Indian modern art. Sadly, he remains forgotten. A painter of immense technical precision and poetic sensibility, his work bridged the worlds of miniature painting, folk traditions, and the emerging language of modernism in post-independence India. His early life in Bombay’s coastal quarters, amid its layered cultural and architectural histories, would deeply shape his lifelong visual vocabulary. An upcoming exhibition celebrates his life and times.

From undergoing academic training at the prestigious Sir JJ School of Art to his independent explorations inspired by his transformative travels through Kashmir and beyond, ‘AA Raiba: The Inner Contour’ brings the spotlight on the artistic practice of one of the early modern Indian artists. Organised by the NCR-based art gallery, Gallery Dotwalk, this large-scale exhibition showcases his early paintings, drawings, experimental works, artist books and archival photographs.

Raiba studied at the Sir JJ School of Art between 1942 and 1946, a period that coincided with the growing assertion of Indian artists toward developing indigenous modernisms. Deeply influenced by Persian and Mughal miniature painting, calligraphy, and the lyrical tradition of Urdu poetry, Raiba developed a style that balanced narrative figuration with ornamental design. His surfaces often carried the luminosity of miniature painting through its textured, rhythmic, and imbued with a reflective intimacy.

In the 1950s, Raiba executed several important public commissions, including a mural on the life of the Buddha for The Ashok Hotel in New Delhi and a mural for Air India in the 1970s. He also produced a celebrated body of paintings commemorating the Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib in 1969, a project that embodied his engagement with literature, philosophy, and visual storytelling. His paintings frequently depicted scenes from village life, urban neighbourhoods, and historical episodes, rendered with delicate linework and subdued yet radiant colour.

Why then is it that Raiba faded into oblivion?

Talking to The Tribune, curator of the show, art historian Prof R Siva Kumar, says artists are often overlooked or under-recognised while alive, and they include those who later become enduring names in art history. “There are many causes for this, including the radicality of their style, their reclusiveness or intransigence, or simply their refusal to play by the rule book of the contemporary art world. However, they are often rediscovered later when the tide turns. We have several recent instances of artists known but ignored gaining recognition and taking centre stage. AA Raiba is one of them.”

He says that originally a member of the celebrated Progressive Artists Group, he parted ways in 1953 and gradually fell off the art radar like several of its early members and associates. “His climb back from relative obscurity began with the 2012 exhibition of his works organised by the Clark House Initiative. The present exhibition is a continuation of that process of Raiba’s rehabilitation in the art world.”

Prof Siva Kumar says that even as Raiba’s rediscovery progresses, it may be pertinent to briefly examine why he slipped into disregard in the first place and what supports his return to favour now. “While it is a constellation of facts and circumstances rather than anyone factor that led to it, one stands out. Raiba’s modernism had not one but two sources — the legacy of the Bengal School, which he inherited through his teacher JM Ahivasi, and the modernist styles brought in by emigre artists and critics from the West. While both freed Indian artists from the constraints of academic realism, artistic freedom derived from indigenous sources was considered revivalist by most of his modernist contemporaries. Raiba refused to accept that true creative freedom and modernism came from the West alone. Unlike FN Souza, his classmate at JJ School of Art and leader of the Progressives, who straddled many traditions but served none, Raiba straddled both traditions of modernism and declined to subsume one to the other.”

“His catholicism or eclecticism of taste and practice did not find enough appreciation as long as the School of Paris was considered the only legitimate source of modernism. Today, this is no longer the case. Viewers are more open to eclecticism and diversity of practices and styles in an artist, and the climate for a revaluation of Raiba’s career is ripe. They are willing to explore how an artist drew on multiple sources and amalgamated them into his vision or how they diversified his practice. The obituaries published in major Indian newspapers and international art journals like Art Asia Pacific and Art Forum following his death in 2016 signify that shift,” says Prof Siva Kumar.

He says that this exhibition continues that process relooking and reassessment. “It offers an opportunity to engage with the full range of his oeuvre, and will, hopefully, help reposition Raiba within the history of modern Indian art,” he adds.

Gallery Dotwalk has recently acquired Raiba’s body of work. The gallery’s founder Sreejith CN says, “This showcase traces the evolution of Raiba’s visual language, the visual shifts and continuities that defined his career. This exhibition is not merely a showcase of works; it is an introspective journey into Raiba’s inner world, his discipline, his resilience, and his remarkable ability to transform material limitations into artistic strength. We believe his story will resonate deeply with both seasoned collectors and new audiences, reaffirming Raiba’s place in the narrative of Indian modernism”.

A press release states that Raiba’s oeuvre is notably characterised by bold shapes and strong outlines, a distinct stylistic departure, marking his entry into the modern context, despite his initial training in the historically delicate tradition of Indian miniature painting. His conscious deviation from the miniature technique through the use of bold shapes and outlines defined his artistic individuality. “A profound influence on Raiba’s mastery of the line stemmed from his deep connection to Islamic literature and Urdu poetry. His youthful flair for Urdu led him to practice Arabic calligraphy, which requires absolute control, precision and the translation of profound meaning through the purity of the stroke. This lifelong practice in calligraphy provided the technical engine for the ‘Inner Contour’,” it further notes.

Another key factor dictating the contour’s boldness was Raiba’s resourceful choice of materials. Having grown up connected to his father’s tailor shop, Raiba utilised unconventional canvases, including scraps of sarees, jute cloth, and later, mastering the difficult art of painting on jute. Painting on such a coarse, absorbent surface required firm, assured strokes to retain form. The bold contour thus became both a functional necessity and an artistic signature, reflecting Raiba’s self-sufficiency, innovation, and his contribution to a uniquely tactile modernism, the release further points out.

Raiba’s works are part of several important public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Modern Art (New Delhi).

A preview of the show was held on November 1 at Travancore Palace, New Delhi, and will remain open for public viewing until 10.