Important Notice

"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

Jagdish Swaminathan's 'Bird, Mountain and Tree' series exemplifies the beauty of basic symbols and geometric shapes found in India's indigenous art, especially from Central India and Himachal Pradesh, where he was born in 1928. The artist - who was also a... "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

Jagdish Swaminathan's 'Bird, Mountain and Tree' series exemplifies the beauty of basic symbols and geometric shapes found in India's indigenous art, especially from Central India and Himachal Pradesh, where he was born in 1928. The artist - who was also a writer, painter, and political activist - rejected the idea that Indian modernism developed solely from encounters with the West, and turned inwards instead, looking to the nation's own folk and tribal art traditions. He experimented with totemic symbols from early societies in a quest to simplify, and to reconnect modern Indian art with its local precursors.

It is from these ideas that this famous series was born. Over two decades, the 'Bird, Mountain and Tree' paintings have featured the three symbolic objects in various permutations, colours and relationships, yet retaining subtle distinctions. "What happens is that when you see a recognisable object, and notice it time and again, then yo u come to 'feel' its repetition." (Jagdish Swaminathan, Art Etc. News and Views, originally published in Hindi in Ravivar, 1979, online) In the placement of these objects, Swaminathan plays with notions of light and shadow, thereby raising questions about existence and perception.

The present lot was part of the private collection of the Amar Mahal Museum in Jammu, India. The French chateau-style palace was originally built in the 19th century as the residence of Raja Amar Singh of the Dogra dynasty. It remained in the family until a part of the palace was converted into a museum by Dr Karan Singh and his wife, with the aim of furthering and preserving Indian art and literature. Inaugurated in 1975, the museum houses, among others, a golden throne weighing 120 kilograms, portraits of the royal family, thousands of antiquarian books, and paintings including miniatures and works by famous modern Indian artists.

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