Arpita Singh
(1937)
31 Days of December
Arpita Singh often explored issues of communal violence that underpin urban India, by juxtaposing images of people with everyday objects, weaving fragments of stories together. 31 Days of December sets a solemn figure against a backdrop of the days of the month, scrawled anachronistically across the canvas. Eyes shut, head bent and fingers interlocked, he appears to be in prayer, or in mourning. Above him is a plane: a motif that appears...
Arpita Singh often explored issues of communal violence that underpin urban India, by juxtaposing images of people with everyday objects, weaving fragments of stories together. 31 Days of December sets a solemn figure against a backdrop of the days of the month, scrawled anachronistically across the canvas. Eyes shut, head bent and fingers interlocked, he appears to be in prayer, or in mourning. Above him is a plane: a motif that appears frequently in Singh's paintings. The figure and the aeroplane stand in stark contrast against the pastel-shaded background. The present lot offers a subtle socio-political comment on separation and loss, following the effects of communal violence on the individual and family. This painting was part of The Harmony Show, a group exhibition held in 1999. Singh's works are complex narratives of people affected by issues which are both immediate and concern a larger social context. Drawing on the theme of existence, survival, dislocation and struggle, she "effortlessly merges everyday life and allegory, expressionism and ornament... her formal approach is at once unassuming and painstaking." ("Understanding Arpita Singh's narrative, perspective and practice," The Arts Trust, online)
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Lot
36
of
109
SUMMER ONLINE AUCTION
8-9 JUNE 2016
Estimate
$50,000 - 60,000
Rs 33,00,000 - 39,60,000
Winning Bid
$51,000
Rs 33,66,000
(Inclusive of Buyer's Premium)
USD payment only.
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ARTWORK DETAILS
Arpita Singh
31 Days of December
Signed and dated 'ARPITA SINGH 98' (lower left) and inscribed '31 Days of December 1998' (upper right)
1998
Oil on canvas
48 x 24 in (121.9 x 61 cm)
PROVENANCE: Christie's New York, 17 October 2001, lot 281 Saffronart, 6 December 2006, lot 20 Christie's New York, 23 March 2010, lot 53 Saffronart, 18-19 January 2012, lot 25
EXHIBITED:Harmony Show , Mumbai: Nehru Centre, 1999
Category: Painting
Style: Figurative
ARTWORK SIZE:
Height of Figure: 6'