Important Notice

The earthy colour palette of the present lot is reminiscent of the landscapes of central India, where S H Raza was born and raised. Painted in 1975, the present lot recalls both the dense jungles of the artist's childhood as well as the colours and moods of Rajasthan to where he had been making frequent trips at the time.

This was characteristic of many of his works from this period, where he began to paint based on his emotional... The earthy colour palette of the present lot is reminiscent of the landscapes of central India, where S H Raza was born and raised. Painted in 1975, the present lot recalls both the dense jungles of the artist's childhood as well as the colours and moods of Rajasthan to where he had been making frequent trips at the time.

This was characteristic of many of his works from this period, where he began to paint based on his emotional responses and memories of India. "Inevitably, freedom is accompanied by remembrance, and for Raza this brought home the hot, burning colours of miniatures from Mewar and Malwa, the searing sensations of his own land." (Yashodara Dalmia, "Journeys with the Black Sun," The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 154?155)

In the present lot, the loose brushwork is set within a frame composed of bands of colour - a technique that is reminiscent of Rajasthani miniature painting where scenes were set within frames of solid colour. Raza's structuring of lighter colours amidst dark swatches reveals his precise thinking and awareness of colour theory that remained a part of his artistic language even while composing an abstract landscape.

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