Important Notice

The present lot was painted in 1975 during Raza's transition from gestural painting to geometric abstraction. Raza made frequent trips to India during this time, and Indian landscapes became the dominant theme in his work during the 1970s. "Nature became to Raza something not to be observed or to be imagined but something to be experienced in the very act of putting paint on canvas." (Rudolf von Leyden, "Metamorphosis," Raza, Mumbai:... The present lot was painted in 1975 during Raza's transition from gestural painting to geometric abstraction. Raza made frequent trips to India during this time, and Indian landscapes became the dominant theme in his work during the 1970s. "Nature became to Raza something not to be observed or to be imagined but something to be experienced in the very act of putting paint on canvas." (Rudolf von Leyden, "Metamorphosis," Raza, Mumbai: Chemould Publications and Arts, 1985) In this painting, the loose brushwork is set within a frame composed of bands of colour. This technique harks back to the tradition of Rajasthani miniature painting, in which scenes were set within frames of solid colour. The painting is unmistakably Indian in its earthy colours which are reminiscent of the North Indian landscapes of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan with which Raza was intimately familiar. Raza's structuring of lighter colours amidst dark swatches reveals his precise thinking and knowledge of colour theory, even while composing an abstract landscape.

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