Who amongst the following painters was born in 1922 in Madhya Pradesh, but lived and worked in France since 1950 and died in New Delhi in 2016 ?
- (a)Syed Haider Raza
- (b)M. F. Hussain
- (c)Raja Rao
- (d)N. S. Bendre
Correct — A, Syed Haider Raza (S. H. Raza). Born in 1922 at Babaria in the Mandla region of Madhya Pradesh, he was a founder-member of the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group (1947). He moved to France in 1950 and spent most of his career there, becoming famous for his 'Bindu' (dot/point) canvases rooted in Indian metaphysics. He returned to India in his last years and died in New Delhi on 23 July 2016 — matching every clue: 1922, born in MP, France from 1950, died in New Delhi in 2016.
- (b)M. F. Hussain — The booklet writes 'M. F. Hussain' — the artist is M. F. Husain (Maqbool Fida Husain). He was born in 1915 at Pandharpur, Maharashtra (not MP), and died in London in 2011, so neither the dates nor the places fit.
- (c)Raja Rao — Raja Rao was a celebrated English-language novelist (Kanthapura, The Serpent and the Rope), not a painter — he does not fit a question about painters at all.
- (d)N. S. Bendre — N. S. Bendre was indeed a major painter born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, but in 1910 (not 1922); he lived and worked in India and died in Bombay in 1992 — he never settled in France.
The Progressive Artists' Group, founded in Bombay in 1947 (Husain, Souza, Raza, Ara and others), broke from academic and revivalist styles to embrace modernism. S. H. Raza is one of its towering figures; his mature work distilled Indian spiritual ideas into geometric abstraction centred on the 'Bindu'. Madhya Pradesh claims him as one of its most famous sons.
The question is a biography-matching puzzle — four names, only one fits all four data points (1922 + born in MP + France from 1950 + died New Delhi 2016). Husain and Bendre are tempting because both are famous modern painters, so pin the exact birth year and the France connection.
- S. H. Raza (1922–2016), born in Madhya Pradesh; moved to France in 1950
- Founder-member of the Progressive Artists' Group, Bombay (1947)
- Best known for his 'Bindu' abstractions; awarded Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan
- Died in New Delhi on 23 July 2016
- Assuming the most famous name (M. F. Husain) is the answer
- Confusing two MP-born modern painters — Raza (1922, France) and Bendre (1910, India)
- Treating Raja Rao (a novelist) as a painter
Both MPPSC and UPSC test modern Indian painters as 'match the artist' or biography clues; MPPSC especially foregrounds Raza and Bendre as sons of Madhya Pradesh.
Consider the following famous names: 1. Amrita Sher-Gil 2. Bikash Bhattacharjee 3. N. S. Bendre 4. Subodh Gupta. Who of the above is/are well known as artist(s)?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 4 only
- (c) 2, 3 and 4 only
- (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 — all four are noted Indian artists, including N. S. Bendre.
Same concept — recognising modern Indian painters/artists. N. S. Bendre (a distractor in the 2019 question) features here as a genuine artist.
Which of the following is NOT a famous painter of Madhya Pradesh?
- (a) Narayan Shridhar Bendre
- (b) Vishnu Chinchalkar
- (c) Nana Saheb Panse
- (d) Amritlal Begad
Answer(c) Nana Saheb Panse
MPPSC's companion question on the famous painters of Madhya Pradesh — the same theme, with N. S. Bendre (Narayan Shridhar Bendre) appearing as a genuine MP painter.
- practice — not a real PYQ
S. H. Raza, N. S. Bendre and M. F. Husain are chiefly associated with which field?
- (a)Classical music
- (b)Modern Indian painting
- (c)Sculpture
- (d)Cinema
Answer(b) Modern Indian painting.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The 'Bindu' motif is central to the work of which modern Indian painter?
- (a)F. N. Souza
- (b)S. H. Raza
- (c)Tyeb Mehta
- (d)Jamini Roy
Answer(b) S. H. Raza.