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Lot 32

 

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A fiery palette of ochre and red dominates this Jagdish Swaminathan painting from the 'Bird, Mountain, Tree' series. Swaminathan delved into exploring the relation between colour and space in the late sixties, after studying Pahari miniatures. Later in the seventies, he created this series of paintings. They frequently featured permutations of basic, recurring shapes as mountains; birds ascending skywards with trees scattered about; and at... A fiery palette of ochre and red dominates this Jagdish Swaminathan painting from the 'Bird, Mountain, Tree' series. Swaminathan delved into exploring the relation between colour and space in the late sixties, after studying Pahari miniatures. Later in the seventies, he created this series of paintings. They frequently featured permutations of basic, recurring shapes as mountains; birds ascending skywards with trees scattered about; and at times, as seen in the present work, a flight of stairs.

The 'Bird, Mountain, Tree' paintings are among Swaminathan's most well-known works. At the time they were created, they were exhibited in a number of galleries. Among these was a show at Dhoomimal Art Gallery in New Delhi in which the present lot was exhibited. A review on the same appeared in the Times of India in 1979. The art critic at the time, Rudolf von Leyden, observed how by repetition of patterns, Swaminathan had almost perfected the composition of this series: "As a dancer may repeat him or herself over years with minor improvisations and yet continue to delight the audience, so may some painters....This thought comes to mind while reviewing J. Swaminathan's latest works" ("Swaminathan repeats but does not pall", The Times of India, Tuesday, Feb. 20 1979)

Swaminathan opens up infinite visual possibilities through repetition and rearrangement with this painting. A review in the Statesman affirms this: "There are the familiar constituents of his imagery. They must recur in such a scheme as his. The hill, the bird, the tree....have acquired certain nuances. The hill stretches across undulatingly, heaves and throbs with energy; is severed from the terra firma and hangs in space....The background colour is more intense....All these are variations and interpretations of familiar, recurrent, basic image concepts." ("Variations of an Artist's Vision", The Statesman, Feb. 24 1979)

The interplay of form and colour also opens up metaphorical possibilities, as observed by art critic Suren Navlakha in his catalogue note for the Dhoomimal Gallery show: "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." ("Exhibition of Paintings by J. Swaminathan", Dhoomimal Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, Feb 16 - Mar 3, 1979).

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