A A Almelkar
(1920 - 1982)
Radha
This painting by Almelkar was exhibited at the Bombay Art Society's annual exhibition in 1953 and at the first exhibition of Indian art at the Venice Biennale in the following year. The lyrical composition, graceful lines and decorative elements are characteristic features of the artist's style. Almelkar was strongly influenced by traditional Indian art, particularly Indian miniatures from the Rajput and Deccan traditions. Around the...
This painting by Almelkar was exhibited at the Bombay Art Society's annual exhibition in 1953 and at the first exhibition of Indian art at the Venice Biennale in the following year. The lyrical composition, graceful lines and decorative elements are characteristic features of the artist's style. Almelkar was strongly influenced by traditional Indian art, particularly Indian miniatures from the Rajput and Deccan traditions. Around the mid-forties, he began painting subjects inspired by Indian history, mythology and the raga-raginis of Hindustani music. Almelkar often applied colours with his fingers, instead of a brush, and created unique textures using materials such as jute, combs or rags. INDIAN ART AND THE VENICE BIENNALE The Venice Biennale is one of the preeminent international art platforms to support and showcase contemporary art practices around the world. It was founded in 1895 to commemorate the silver anniversary of the accession of King Umberto I of Italy, and his consort Margherita of Savoy. Initially displaying only Italian artists by invitation, it opened its doors to international art and established national pavilions in 1907. The first of these was Belgium. In 1954, Indian art was exhibited at the Venice Biennale for the first time. This was also a time when the Indian art scene had gained some recognition, following the relative success of the Progressive Artists' Group in preceding years, and the establishment of the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Lalit Kala Akademi in the same year. Spearheaded by Madanjeet Singh, then cultural attache at the Indian Embassy in Rome, the retrospective displayed 59 paintings by 32 artists, including Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, M F Husain, S H Raza and F N Souza. Singh travelled to Bombay, Madras and Calcutta, personally collecting works from both private and public collections for this show. The exhibition sold more than 40 works, an impressive number at a time when Indian artists were relatively unknown in Europe. Radha , painted by A A Almelkar a year prior, was part of this exhibition. Singh also organised the succeeding exhibition of Indian Art at the Venice Biennale in 1956, focussing mainly on four Indian artists: M F Husain, Dinkar Kaushik, Akbar Padamsee and S H Raza, whose works had seen a favourable response in Europe by then. The following lot, Eglise by Raza, painted in 1953, was part of this show. Indian art continued to have a presence at the Venice Biennale until 1982. In 2011, an Indian Pavilion was organised once again, showcasing contemporary artists Zarina Hashmi, Gigi Scaria and Praneet Soi, Mriganka Madhukaillya and Sonal Jain.
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Lot
41
of
65
EVENING SALE | MUMBAI, LIVE
13 MARCH 2018
Estimate
Rs 3,00,000 - 5,00,000
$4,690 - 7,815
Winning Bid
Rs 5,04,000
$7,875
(Inclusive of Buyer's Premium)
ARTWORK DETAILS
A A Almelkar
Radha
Signed 'A A ALMELKAR' (lower right); bearing Venice Biennale (1954) and the Bombay Art Society labels (on the reverse)
1953
Watercolour on mount board pasted on board
8 x 5.75 in (20.6 x 14.3 cm)
EXHIBITED:63rd Annual Exhibition 1953-54 , Bombay: The Bombay Art Society, 1953 Venice: XXVII Biennale Internazionale d'Arte di Venezia, 19 June - 17 October 1954
Category: Painting
Style: Figurative
ARTWORK SIZE:
Height of Figure: 6'