Spring Auctions 2021

15

RAM KUMAR (1924‒2018)

Untitled

Signed and dated 'Ram Kumar 06' (on the reverse)
2006
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 24 in (91.4 x 61 cm)

Rs 25,00,000 ‒ 35,00,000
$34,725 ‒ 48,615

PROVENANCE
Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad
An Important Private Collection, New Delhi

49

K H Ara’s entry and success into the Indian art world has been described as nothing short of “astonishing” by
art critics and historians. Born to a Dalit bus driver in a village in Andhra Pradesh, Ara ran away to Bombay at
the age of seven, began working as a car cleaner, and eventually discovered he could paint. Using an apropos
metaphor for the still life paintings that Ara eventually became famous for, critic Jagmohan compares the
artist’s evolution as a painter to “a flowering plant that manages to shoot out from under the boulder to
tantalize us with its colours. For in spite of the socio‒economic burden of his people and his initial venture as
a car cleaner, he emerged as a self‒taught painter who had dazzled the eyes of innumerable people with his
colourful, imaginative, expressionist paintings.” (Quoted in Yashodhara Dalmia, The Making of Modern Indian
Art: The Progressives, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2001, p. 131)

50

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PARSI COLLECTION, MUMBAI

16

K H ARA (1914‒1985)

Untitled (Landscape)

Signed 'ARA' (lower left); bearing exhibition label (on the reverse)
Oil on canvas
21.5 x 29.75 in (54.5 x 75.5 cm)

Rs 20,00,000 ‒ 30,00,000
$27,780 ‒ 41,670

PROVENANCE
Christie's, New York, 17 September 2015, lot 727

A largely untrained artist, Ara “did some evening work in a studio doing... object drawings, passed a
Teacher’s examination and painted under all sorts of influences.” (Rudy von Leyden, “Ara,” New Delhi: Lalit
Kala Akademi, 1965, criticalcollective.in, online) He was encouraged and influenced by Walter Langhammer
to a great extent. He studied various forms of European modern art in Europe, experimenting with Cubism,
deconstructivism as well as more traditional formalism. But ultimately, Ara’s art was his own. “…there are
few painters who handle colour expressively with as much certainty of touch as Ara in his best work… Ara’s
art has always been intuitive, imaginative, spontaneous and improvised… The real secret of Ara’s work…
is to be found in the simple and enduring joy of being able to paint.” (Leyden, online) The present lot, an
impasto‒laden rustic and lush landscape, offers a glimpse into the width and depth of his practice.

51

52

PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN, NEW DELHI
17

F N SOUZA (1924‒2002)

Untitled
Signed and dated 'Souza 89' (lower left)
1989
Acrylic on canvas
11.5 x 28.5 in (29 x 72.5 cm)
Rs 25,00,000 ‒ 35,00,000
$34,725 ‒ 48,615
PROVENANCE
Gifted by the artist
Acquired from the above

“Why should I be sparse and parsimonious when not only this
world but worlds in space are open to me? I have everything to
use at my disposal.” — F N SOUZA

53

PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN, NEW DELHI

18

F N SOUZA (1924‒2002)

Untitled
Signed and dated 'Souza 89' (lower centre)
1989
Acrylic on canvas
11.5 x 28.5 in (29 x 72.5 cm)

Rs 25,00,000 ‒ 35,00,000
$34,725 ‒ 48,615

PROVENANCE
Gifted by the artist
Acquired from the above

54

55

Jagdish Swaminathan
© Jyoti Bhatt

Untitled (Bird, Tree and Mountain Series), Jagdish Swaminathan was a painter, writer, and political activist who
circa 1980s rejected the idea that Indian modernism developed solely from
Saffronart, 8 December 2020, lot 25 encounters with the West, and turned inwards instead, looking to
Sold for Rs 56.9 lakhs ($78,000) the nation's own folk and indigenous art traditions. He experimented
with totemic symbols from early societies in a quest to simplify, and
Untitled (Bird Mountain Series), 1985 to reconnect modern Indian art with its local precursors.
Saffronart, 13‒14 June 2018, lot 73
Sold for Rs 47.5 lakhs ($72,000) It is from these ideas that Swaminathan’s famous ‘Bird, Mountain,
56 Tree’ series was born, exemplifying the beauty of basic symbols and
geometric shapes found especially in Central India and Himachal
Pradesh, where the artist was born in 1928. Over two decades,
these paintings have featured the three symbolic objects in various
permutations, colours and relationships, while retaining subtle
distinctions.

The unique flexibility between form and colour opens up
Swaminathan's paintings for multiple interpretations, in which "one
confronts a curious dualism. There is assertion, and also submission.
There is defiance, and also prayer... there is a homage to the quiet,
almost placid splendour of timelessness, of contained animation."
(Suren Navlakha, Exhibition of Paintings by J Swaminathan, New Delhi:
Dhoomimal Gallery, 1979)

19

JAGDISH SWAMINATHAN (1928‒1994)

Untitled

Signed and dated 'J. Swaminathan/ 80' (on the reverse)
1980
Oil on canvas
26.5 x 32 in (67.5 x 81 cm)

Rs 30,00,000 ‒ 50,00,000
$41,670 ‒ 69,445

PROVENANCE
Acquired from the artist by a Portuguese diplomat during his posting in India
Thence by descent

57

20

M F HUSAIN (1913‒2011)

Chinese Horse
Signed 'Husain' (lower left);
bearing Delhi Art Gallery label (on the reverse)
Acrylic on paper pasted on cloth
82.25 x 47 in (209 x 119.5 cm)
Rs 35,00,000 ‒ 45,00,000
$48,615 ‒ 62,500
PROVENANCE
Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi
Acquired from the above

“Suddenly, a black horse noticed me.
He paused, turned back and said to me,
“Go forth and see the world.”
Indeed it is true.
Seeing the world is to understand one's own existence.
Husain knows this well.
Hence he never stays at one place for long.”

— M F HUSAIN

58

59

M F Husain
© Jyoti Bhatt

60

61

“Art has to evolve from your very being, like my horses… I see them
as ageless and immortal. They draw chariots in the great epics,
they stand proudly in the poorest stables, they are embodiments
of strength.” – M F HUSAIN

The present lot is a vivid portrayal of a white horse and its female rider, Untitled
two leitmotifs often seen in M F Husain’s paintings, rendered using Saffronart, 17 September 2020, lot 20
strong lines and thick brushwork. According to Yashodhara Dalmia, Sold for Rs 1.56 crores ($213,699)
"Above all else, it was the line that was Husain's strongest element and
he used it with a bounding energy in his work. The deft strokes that came Untitled, circa 1960s
from an early acquaintance with calligraphy now encased the figure in Saffronart, New Delhi,
simple, economic points of intersection." ("A Metaphor for Modernity," 12 September 2019, lot 25
The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, New Delhi: Oxford Sold for Rs 1.14 crores ($160,563)
University Press, 2001, p. 109) It was painted in Caracas, Venezuela when
the artist was participating in the Indian Trade Exhibition and Cultural Untitled
Festival in the city in 1983, and was intended as a gift. Saffronart, New Delhi,
12 September 2019, lot 51
Husain's depictions of women are deeply rooted in Indian sculpture and Sold for Rs 72 lakhs ($101,408)
miniature painting, which he encountered during his travels across the
country, while his horses continued to evolve and incorporate a mix
of influences. His study of Chinese horses from the Sung dynasty, and
the work of Franz Marc and Mario Marini influenced his economy of
line and his depiction of complex emotions. Husain incorporates these
influences seamlessly to create paintings in his own inimitable style. His
horses are archetypes imbued with a sense of mythic power and virility,
representative of change. They have been described as, "... subterranean
creatures. Their nature is not intellectualised: it is rendered as sensation
or as abstract movement, with a capacity to stir up vague premonitions
and passions, in a mixture of ritualistic fear and exultant anguish."
(Richard Bartholomew and Shiv S Kapur, Husain, New York: Harry N
Abrams, Inc., 1972, p. 43)

Husain explored the many moods and nuances of these majestic animals
throughout his career, painted with the same frenetic energy that they
represent through their bucking and rearing postures. So enthralled was
the artist by the power of the horse that he even referenced it in his
own poetry. "The horses are rampant or galloping; the manes, the fury,
the working buttocks, the prancing legs, and the strong neighing heads
with dilated nostrils are blocks of colour which are vivid or tactile or
are propelled in their significant progression by strokes of the brush or
sweeps of the palette knife. The activity depicted is transformed in the
activity of paint." (Ebrahim Alkazi, M F Husain: The Modern Artist and
Tradition, New Delhi: Art Heritage, 1978, p. 3)

62

21

M F HUSAIN (1913‒2011)

Untitled

Signed indistinctly (lower centre)
Oil on canvas
25.5 x 31 in (65 x 79 cm)

Rs 50,00,000 ‒ 60,00,000
$69,445 ‒ 83,335

PROVENANCE
Received as a gift from the artist in Venezuela in 1983
Acquired from the above
Private Collection, Mumbai

63

PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED PARSI COLLECTION, MUMBAI
22

M F HUSAIN (1913‒2011)

Untitled (Benaras Landscape)
Circa 1960s
Pencil on paper
8 x 27.5 in (20.5 x 70 cm)
Rs 6,00,000 ‒ 8,00,000
$8,335 ‒ 11,115

PROVENANCE
Formerly in the Collection of Badrivishal Pitti
Pundole's, Mumbai, 17 January 2013, lot 29 a)

“In the beginning of the 1960s, Ram Kumar arrived in Benaras.
Not alone. Husain was with him. Two painters. Two brushes. One
brush played with the waves of restless Ganga. The other was
still – like a centuries’ old meditative trance of the Benaras ghats.
... Inside that city, there thrives another city. All roads lead miles
away to a standstill destination.
No signboards anywhere for you to recognise it.
No milestone for you to measure the distance.
... Just two or three colours of peace and solace.”

– M F HUSAIN

64

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, MAHARASHTRA

23

M F HUSAIN (1913‒2011)

Monkey and a Girl I

Inscribed '"Monkey and a girl" I' (lower left)
and signed 'Husain' (lower right)
Watercolour and pastel on paper
21.5 x 14.25 in ( 54.5 x 36 cm )

Rs 10,00,000 ‒ 15,00,000
$13,890 ‒ 20,835

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Bangalore

65

N S Bendre, 1960
© Jyoti Bhatt

66

ARTIST IN FOCUS

N S BENDRE (1910 — 1992)

Artist, teacher and intellectual, N S Bendre was a towering figure in
the world of modern Indian art. Known as “Dada” to the students he
taught, Bendre’s influence in and contribution to the art movement and
subsequent generations of artists is profound. He introduced new ideas
in art education, including an intellectual informality in disseminating
information. As an artist, Bendre was equally adept at portraits, landscapes
and still‒life. The following four lots by the artist belong to two diverse
periods of his life, differing in genre, style and thematic concerns, but
representing the breadth of his artistic capacities.

Bendre was born in Indore in 1910 to a family of civil servants. The fifth of 14
siblings, he contracted a cornea infection as an infant, rendering him blind
in his right eye. “One would speculate whether the apparent handicap has
in fact sharpened in sight. Nana’s keen observation would suggest that his
senses have indeed been heightened.” (Ram Chatterji, Bendre: The Painter
and the Person, Mumbai: The Bendre Foundation for Art and Culture &
Indus Corporation, 1990, p. 4) Despite his disability and the lack of scope
to learn artistic skills at school, Bendre persevered in his creative interests,
encouraged by his mother whose interest in ritualistic imagery fuelled his
own output as she prompted him to create illustrations, sketches and clay
figures for religious festivals. After matriculating from high school, Bendre
joined the Holkar College as a science student, but shortly transferred to
the State School of Art which had just been established in 1929. “Their
training was entirely through their observation of nature, never through
books… They began with pastel and gradually learnt to handle water‒
colour, gouache, and finally oil colour. They were taught to observe the
behaviour of light at different hours of the day and night and were made
to work even in the light of the hurricane patterns they carried. This was
their introduction to an impressionistic palette that almost discarded
black. They also became conscious of the fact that line did not exist in
nature—it was an invention of the artist for the purpose of delineating
form.” (Chatterji, p. 8) These formative teachings impacted and influenced
Bendre well through his career.

67

N S Bendre, 1978 travels continued and on one such sojourn, he met
Image courtesy of the artist's family Nandalal Bose. In 1947, at the time of Independence,
Bendre went to the United States. This trip exposed
Bendre graduated from Holkar College in 1933, him to the burgeoning American art movements
which was followed by his success at the Annual and he held one of his earliest solo exhibitions at
Exhibition of the Bombay Art Society during which Windermere Gallery, New York in January 1948.
he won the Silver Medal for his painting Vagabond.
“The painting won recognition for Bendre as an artist, This was immediately followed by a journey to
and his striking sense of atmospheric colour was Europe, which lasted for 10 months beginning with
particularly noted… In the same exhibition, Bendre London, where he visited national museums and
had exhibited a landscape, which also won an award galleries and saw first‒hand the works of Turner and
specially reserved for street scenes. The Bombay Art Constable. “The voyage had given Bendre enough
Society’s Annual Show was an outstanding event time to take stock of his experiences of the last
in India then and an award in its show was a stamp ten months. He tried to assess their impact on his
of recognition that installed artists in positions of outlook. His first‒hand acquaintance with the art
honour in the world of art. Bendre sold both his world of the West had undoubtedly made a strong
prize‒winning entries, a spectacular success for a impression… He felt convinced representation was
debut.” (Chatterji, p. 13) Having cemented his path not the ultimate goal for an artist. Emphasis had to
as a painter, Bendre began pursuing art earnestly be laid on ultra‒sensorial factors. To achieve this, it
— his winning streak at the Bombay Art Society was essential to arrive at an integration of all forms,
exhibitions continued, and his submission at the an inter‒relation of chosen elements. And for this,
Simla Art Exhibition shared a prize with Amrita Sher‒ distortion was essential—no movement or action
Gil, an honour that he refused. His love for travel was possible without it.” (Chatterji, p. 41)
took him across the country, where he exhibited
extensively and won many awards and prizes. Bendre’s return to India was prompted by the tragic
In 1939, after a brief three‒year eventful period in news of Gandhi’s death. Back in Bombay, he decided
Kashmir, Bendre shifted base to Bombay—a city to break away from his previous style and adopt a
which provided several creative opportunities. new idiom of painting — inspired by his travels and
He started an art class, whose attendance grew in exposure to contemporary Western art movements
numbers, and established his reputation in the eyes — but one that was met by resistance by some of
of stalwarts such as S B Palsikar and K S Kulkarni. His his benefactors. To sustain himself financially and
creatively, he started making illustrations for the
68 Illustrated Weekly of India, which were received
well. Around this time, he was also part of the
committee to restructure and reorganise the state
of art teaching in Bombay to suit contemporary
standards. Here he met Hansa Mehta, who had just
occupied the position of Vice Chancellor at the
newly established M S University of Baroda and was
keen to form an art faculty. Encouraged to apply
for a job there, Bendre was eventually offered the
position to head the Painting section, which he
accepted and moved to Baroda in June 1950. Lots
24 and 26 were painted around this time, both
differing in style and subject matter.

Within a few years, the Faculty of Fine Arts would N S Bendre, 1968
come to be recognised as one of the foremost Image courtesy of the artist's family
centres for art education in India, earning itself the
moniker of Baroda School — alongside Bombay and
Santiniketan. The success is largely attributed to the
leadership of Markand Bhatt, the Dean, and in no
small part due to the open and immersive teaching
technique and talent of Bendre. In 1959, Bendre took
over the Dean’s role after Bhatt’s departure which he
occupied until 1966. As his success as both an artist
and administrator progressed, he continued to form
an important part of the dialogue on modern Indian
art. His tutelage produced artists such as Shanti Dave,
Jyoti Bhatt, G R Santosh and G M Sheikh, each one
noted for their distinctive style and contribution to
Indian art. Bendre’s own impact on art is incalculable—
it was not only his personal creative output, but his
legacy that inspired subsequent generations of Indian
artists and shaped the course of Indian art history.

N S Bendre, 1968‒1969
Image courtesy of the artist's family

69

70

N S Bendre
© Jyoti Bhatt

71

PROPERTY OF A PROMINENT COLLECTION, MUMBAI
24

N S BENDRE (1910‒1992)

Untitled
Circa 1950s
Oil on canvas
42.75 x 45.75 in (108.5 x 116.5 cm)
Rs 60,00,000 ‒ 80,00,000
$83,335 ‒ 111,115

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist

The figures of mother and child were a recurring theme in Bendre's art.

Pratiksha, 1982 Banjaras, 1987

Reproduced from Ram Chatterji, Bendre: The Painter and the Person, Mumbai: The Bendre Foundation for
Art and Culture & Indus Corporation, 1990

Decidedly figurative, lot 24 depicts a domestic scene of a mother knitting as her infant child sprawls next to
her — perhaps inspired by Bendre's own familial relationships at home. The artist's lyrical style and careful
balance of colour harmony evoke a sense of sanguine tranquillity, as well as the beginnings of the pointillist
technique that were to become a trademark of his later works.

72

73

“Whatever I have experienced in this world, I paint. Other things
are not important to me.” — N S BENDRE

N S Bendre
Image courtesy of the Bendre family

74

PROPERTY OF A PROMINENT COLLECTION, MUMBAI Untitled, circa 1950s

25

N S BENDRE (1910‒1992)

Untitled

Circa 1940s‒1950s
Oil on hardboard
35.5 x 47.5 in (90.2 x 120.5 cm)

Rs 40,00,000 ‒ 50,00,000
$55,560 ‒ 69,445

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist

Seemingly impressionistic at first glance, the painting depicts a quaint mountainous landscape with a
sense of urgency, conveyed by Bendre’s use of a patchy brushwork technique and vivid colour scheme—
demonstrating the influence of Cézanne and Gauguin whose works he was sure to have encountered
during this period.

75

PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE INDIAN COLLECTION The cover of Bendre, New Delhi:
Lalit Kala Akademi, 1957, in which
26 the present lot is published

N S BENDRE (1910‒1992)

Boats

1957
Oil on board
16.5 x 23.5 in (42 x 60 cm)

Rs 18,00,000 ‒ 24,00,000
$25,000 ‒ 33,335

PUBLISHED
Bendre, New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1957, pl. 1 (illustrated)

The present lot, perhaps depicts an abstracted rendition of boats at harbour, executed in strong planar
swatches of paint seen his later semi‒abstracted works from the mid‒1950s to end of the decade. “To
him, abstract art was a play of non‒representational forms to give expression to fundamental feelings.
The purpose of his experiments was mainly to see for himself the possibilities of cubism as well as
abstract expression…” (Chatterji, pp. 50‒51) Bendre never painted abstracts after this period — as
he found the organic forms of nature far more appealing to his aesthetic sensibilities — making the
present lot a rare work from his artistic career.

76

77

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PROVENANCE
PRIVATE COLLECTION, CHENNAI Acquired directly from the artist
Galerie 88, Kolkata
27
EXHIBITED
N S BENDRE (1910‒1992) Krishna, Kolkata: Galerie 88, 2 ‒ 20 September 1991

Untitled (Krishna on Kaliya)

Signed and dated in Devnagari (lower right);
inscribed ''BENDRE'' (on the reverse)
1991
Oil on canvas
48 x 36 in ( 122 x 91.5 cm )

Rs 1,20,00,000 ‒ 1,50,00,000
$166,670 ‒ 208,335

In the present lot, the artist depicts the battle between Krishna and Untitled, 1974
Kaliya, a venomous multi‒hood snake inhabiting a lake within the Saffronart, 13‒14 June 2018, lot 26
river Yamuna on the banks of Vrindavana — a story which appears in Sold for Rs 1.31 crores ($199,818)
the Bhagavata Purana. According to this tale, Kaliya’s presence in the
water body had polluted it so severely that no vegetation or animal life Untitled, 1971
grew in its vicinity. Seeing this, Krishna descended from the spiritual Saffronart, Mumbai,
plane to subdue the poisonous serpent. In the ensuing battle, Kaliya 17 September 2020, lot 57
coiled himself around the blue‒skinned god and attempted to crush Sold for Rs 1.56 crores ($213,699)
him. Seeing Krishna enveloped in Kaliya’s coils upset the cowherd
community and the residents of Vrindavana, who responded in
distress and grief assuming the worst. To appease their fears, Krishna
expanded himself in size, forcing Kaliya to release him from his bonds.
In the tense altercation that followed, Krishna mounted Kaliya’s
many‒hooded head and began dancing on top of it. Witnessing this
turn of events, a slew of worshippers and servants descended from
the heavenly planets and sang songs and played musical instruments
to accompany his dancing. Kaliya, fatigued and badly bruised from
Krishna’s quick‒footed moves and enormous strength, eventually
surrendered to the god and offered him submission.

Made in 1991, towards the end of Bendre’s life and career, the present
lot depicts the Puranic narrative in simple and smooth forms, with
the artist having captured the details of the characters, such as the
yellow silken garments worn by Krishna, without much ostentation.
Bendre’s choice of colour is metaphorical, yet nuanced; the figure of
a dancing Krishna in bright attire stands out like a ray of hope in the
sea of darkness created by the poisonous Kaliya. “For well over half a
century, Bendre has time and again startled artists and art lovers with
his innovative use of colour, his sensitivity to the play of subtle hues
in nature, and his ability to transfer them to canvas with unmatched
dexterity, whatever the medium." (Chatterji, p. 1)

78

79

PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE INDIAN COLLECTION
28

B PRABHA (1933‒2001)

Untitled
Signed and dated in Devnagari (centre right)
1990
Oil on canvas
29.5 x 41.25 in (75 x 105 cm)
Rs 15,00,000 ‒ 20,00,000
$20,835 ‒ 27,780
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, UK

80

29

B PRABHA (1933‒2001)

Untitled

Signed and dated 'b.prabha/ 1965' (centre left)
1965
Oil on canvas
42 x 41 in (106.5 x 104.2 cm)

Rs 28,00,000 ‒ 32,00,000
$38,890 ‒ 44,445

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist, circa 1960s
Private Collection, Switzerland
Private Collection, New Delhi

81

“It is the playfulness while exploring the possibilities of one given
medium that fascinates me. But enjoyment or reactions to a
given medium or style can never be static, or else it would soon
turn the artist into a fossil.” – SANKHO CHAUDHURI

A versatile and innovative sculptor, Sankho Chaudhuri is considered one of the masters of modern Indian
sculpture, and was adept in the use of various mediums including wood, stone and bronze. A student of
Ramkinkar Baij, Chaudhuri's work is significant in its emancipation from the academic style prevalent during
the British Raj, instead favouring new styles and media. His largely abstract, elegant sculptures are created with
an essential understanding of the qualities of the materials he was adept at shaping. Artist and art critic Pran
Nath Mago referred to these works as "space transformations... His forms whether casted in metal or worked in
sheetmetal, enveloping space, express the essential spirit of things. They are volume creations – from material
volume to virtual volume – and circumscribed mass imbued with a remarkable sense of rhythm. The negative
volumes produced by openings perceived visually, although bodiless, are an outstanding plastic element in
Sankho's works." ("Some Consequential Contemporary Artists of India," Contemporary Art in India: A Perspective,
New Delhi: National Book Trust, 2001, p. 182)

Sankho Chaudhuri
© Jyoti Bhatt
82

30

SANKHO CHAUDHURI (1916‒2006)

Untitled
Circa 1950s
Wood
Height: 14.25 in (36.5 cm)
Width: 17.25 in (43.5 cm)
Depth: 10.5 in (26.6 cm)
Rs 12,00,000 ‒ 15,00,000
$16,670 ‒ 20,835
PROVENANCE
Pundole's, 26‒27 August 2014, lot 79
Akar Prakar, Kolkata
EXHIBITED
Nirmiti: A Constructed Object, New Delhi: Akar Prakar,
1 ‒ 31 October 2015

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31

SARBARI ROY CHOWDHURY (1933‒2012)

Head of a Woman

Signed in Bengali and inscribed '4/9' (on the neck)
2006
Bronze
Height: 17 in (43.3 cm)
Width: 9.5 in (24.4 cm)
Depth: 10 in (25.3 cm)

Rs 5,00,000 ‒ 7,00,000
$6,945 ‒ 9,725

Fourth from a limited edition of nine

PROVENANCE
Akar Prakar, Kolkata

PUBLISHED
R Siva Kumar, Sensibility Objectified: The Sculptures of
Sarbari Roy Choudhury, Kolkata: Akar Prakar, Ahmedabad:
Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi,
2009, p. 124 (illustrated)

84

32

THOTA VAIKUNTAM (b.1942)

Untitled
Signed and dated in Telugu (lower right)
2012
Acrylic on canvas
48 x 35.75 in (121.7 x 90.7 cm)
Rs 18,00,000 ‒ 24,00,000
$25,000 ‒ 33,335
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
An Important Private Collection, New Delhi

85

33

JOGEN CHOWDHURY (b.1939)

Ganesha
Initialled and dated in Bengali (lower left) and dated
and signed '1994/ JOGEN' (lower right); inscribed and
dated '"Ganesha"/ Santiniketan/ 1994' (on the reverse)
1994
Oil on canvas
45 x 29.25 in (114 x 74.5 cm)
Rs 30,00,000 ‒ 50,00,000
$41,670 ‒ 69,445
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, Kolkata

86

87

F N Souza’s portraits, especially his renditions of 'Heads,' represented The cover of Francis Newton Souza:
his lifelong interest in the human condition. They began to dominate Retrospective II, New Delhi: Kumar
his oeuvre from the 1940s onwards, maturing stylistically over the Gallery, 2000, in which the present lot
decades. The artist also had a complex relationship with the Roman is published
Catholic Church, which played a fundamental role in shaping Souza's
personal beliefs and his art, which sometimes explored ecclesiastical
themes. As much as he was in awe of its pomp and pageantry, Souza
also found the puritanical dogmas and practices of the Church
repressive. 

The present lot combines Souza’s thematic interests, depicting a
portrait of Christ in the artist’s trademark style against a striking blue
background. "It is in depicting heads that Souza introduced his most
inventive features that bring to the fore his whole painterly arsenal.
His use of colour is conventional with thick, rigid strokes of paint
squeezed straight from the tube on to the canvas. Their burnished
quality is reminiscent of the old masters, its expressive content not
fully exploited and not in cohesion with the radical quality of the
subject." (Yashodhara Dalmia, "A Passion for the Human Figure," The
Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, New Delhi: Oxford
University Press, 2001, p. 93)

The present lot exhibited at Kumar Gallery in 2000
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34 EXHIBITED

F N SOUZA (1924‒2002) Francis Newton Souza: Retrospective II, New Delhi: Kumar
Gallery, 9 ‒ 21 October 2000
Christ in Blue
A Tribute to Francis Newton Souza: Selected Works from
Signed and dated ‘Souza 68’ (upper left) 60s to 90s, New Delhi: Kumar Gallery, 14 January ‒ 15
1968 February 2005
Mixed media on paper pasted on paper
16 x 20 in (40.7 x 50.5 cm) Celebration 2016: Kumar Gallery, Sixty Years (1955 ‒ 2015),
New Delhi: Kumar Gallery, 25 January ‒ 5 February 2016
Rs 18,00,000 ‒ 24,00,000
$25,000 ‒ 33,335 PUBLISHED

PROVENANCE Francis Newton Souza: Retrospective II, New Delhi: Kumar
Kumar Gallery, New Delhi Gallery, 2000 (illustrated)

A Tribute to Francis Newton Souza: Selected Works from
60s to 90s, New Delhi: Kumar Gallery, 2005 (illustrated)

Celebration 2016: Kumar Gallery, Sixty Years (1955 ‒ 2015),
New Delhi: Kumar Gallery, 2016 (illustrated)

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90

91

F N Souza's landscapes offer an insight into his personal journeys, as well as clues to broader socio‒political events
in the places that he depicts and the emotions they elicit. Unlike the cityscapes that Souza painted during the
war and through the post‒war period in the 1960s – which often featured an apocalyptic urgency and a darker
palette – the present lot features vivid colours that are in sharp contrast to his earlier sombre scenes. 
According to Richard Bartholomew, "Souza can represent the essence of nature in a small, spontaneously
assembled still‒life or suggest in an equally small landscape the meaning of place and time." (Quoted in Rati
Bartholomew, Pablo Bartholomew, Carmen Kagal and Rosalyn D'Mello eds., Richard Bartholomew: The Art Critic,
Noida: BART, 2012, p. 548) Here, the frenzied jumble of what seem to be houses, steeples and other buildings are
outlined against rolling hills and vibrant foliage. Souza’s brushstrokes and choice of colour palette are reminiscent
of an autumnal scene ushering in change.
In 1989, four years before the present lot was painted, Souza spoke about the idiom of landscapes developed by
Indian artists. "We can now look back and be surprised at how those of us from the Progressive Artists' Group...
came into our own individual styles; our landscapes were not only very different from those of British painters
like Turner and Constable, we were, although we were very modern, different from the French impressionists. We
were bold and full of fire. Our landscapes were full of brilliant colours!" (Artist quoted in "Red Trees, Black Skies,"
The Times of India, 4 June 1989, p. 4) Though Souza’s landscapes evolved – and became rarer – over the decades,
they retained his distinctive style and deliberate use of colour.

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35 Untitled, 1990
Saffronart, 8 December 2020, lot 31
F N SOUZA (1924‒2002) Sold for Rs 1.26 crores ($172,603)

Untitled

Signed and dated 'Souza 93' (upper centre)
1993
Oil on canvas
36 x 48 in (91.4 x 121.9 cm)

Rs 1,20,00,000 ‒ 1,80,00,000
$166,670 ‒ 250,000

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist
Dhoomimal Art Gallery, New Delhi
An Important Private Collection
Acquired from the above

93

“An artist shows the entry point to his creative world and the rest
depends on the onlooker, what he sees, feels and interprets. He
has to make an effort to find for himself what he is seeking and
what the artist wants him to see.” – RAM KUMAR

This later abstract landscape by Ram Kumar offers few clues to the identity of the location being portrayed.
From early figurative work, Kumar gradually moved to increasingly abstract depictions of the places he had
visited, with a particular focus on Benaras. Like fellow artist S H Raza's interest in the emotive qualities of nature,
Kumar too was more concerned with capturing the essence of the place rather than in realistic cityscapes.
Critic Richard Bartholomew alludes to this intangible quality in Kumar's art: "When I see a Ram Kumar
painting... I get the feeling that I've been there before... The very forms of the composition suggest that. The
hard and the soft, the tangible and the elusive, the structure and the sensation... Ram's work draws us into its
field of vision, involving us visually, stimulating us to see this detail or that... There is great depth, in perspective
and feeling. The experience encountered is extremely refined. A reductive principle in composition and an
immaculate technique determine the scale." (Richard Bartholomew, "Ram Kumar '73," Rati Bartholomew,
Carmen Kagal and Rosalyn D'Mello eds., Richard Bartholomew: The Art Critic, New Delhi: Bart, 2012, p. 536)
The present lot, with its focus on the language of painting, evokes this sense of place, without specifying what
that place might be.

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36

RAM KUMAR (1924‒2018)

Untitled

Signed and dated 'Ram Kumar 2003' (on the reverse)
2003
Oil on canvas
33 x 38 in (84 x 96.8 cm)

Rs 35,00,000 ‒ 45,00,000
$48,615 ‒ 62,500

PROVENANCE
Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi

95

“The mind moves through the object to the
idea, and through the idea to the object. Thus,
the work becomes concrete and abstract at
the same time.” – JAGDISH SWAMINATHAN

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Jagdish Swaminathan
© Jyoti Bhatt

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Present lot published in Celebration 2016: Present lot exhibited at Kumar Gallery shows in 1996 and 2016
Kumar Gallery, Sixty Years (1955 ‒ 2015),
New Delhi: Kumar Gallery, 2016

The present lot is from Jagdish Swaminathan’s famous 'Bird, Mountain, Tree' series, which was born out of the
artist’s need to return to a pure form of his subjects. This series, which occupied him for over two decades,
plays around with the titular subjects in many variations, forming a singularly unique composition each time.
The simplistic nature of Swaminathan's work offers the possibility for a deeper interpretation of themes that are
unique to each viewer. According to the artist, “What happens is that when you see a recognisable object, and
notice it time and again, then you come to ‘feel’ its repetition.” (Jagdish Swaminathan, art news & views, originally
published in Hindi in Ravivar, 1979, online)

In these paintings, the artist often chose a warm colour palette, such as the bright yellow, mustard and fiery orange
in the present lot. Divided into three panels, there is a tonal continuity in the composition, successfully evoking a
sense of harmony. In the placement of these objects, Swaminathan plays with notions of reflection and shadow,
thereby raising questions about existence and perception. As Krishen Khanna notes, "[Swaminthan's] structures
were elemental, uniquely his own. He conjugated them to create undreamt of images. Hills, birds, insects, plants,
water, air, unbuildable buildings but no human beings. Their relationship on the canvas had nothing to do with
the laws of this physical world... A rock suspended in mid‒air with a sleek bird atop of it, a mountain reflected
in a lake which leaves you guessing as to which is which, and steps on a monument leading nowhere." (Krishen
Khanna, J Swaminathan: Contemporary Indian Art Series, New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1995)

Untitled, 1975 Untitled, 1983 Untitled, 1986
Saffronart, 13‒14 June 2018, lot 18 Saffronart, New Delhi, Saffronart, Mumbai,
Sold for Rs 79.2 lakhs ($120,000) 12 September 2019, lot 27 26 March 2019, lot 24
Sold for Rs 72 lakhs ($101,408) Sold for Rs 80.5 lakhs ($118,382)
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