Important Notice

"Art has always been a combination of Indian literature, music, dance and architectural traditions." - M F HUSAIN

M F Husain's unique modern vocabulary has acknowledged traditional Indian sensibilities since the early 1950s, and, on several occasions, used classical Indian aesthetics as a substrate on which his images could be constructed. "Behind every stroke of the artist's brush is a vast hinterland of traditional concepts,... "Art has always been a combination of Indian literature, music, dance and architectural traditions." - M F HUSAIN

M F Husain's unique modern vocabulary has acknowledged traditional Indian sensibilities since the early 1950s, and, on several occasions, used classical Indian aesthetics as a substrate on which his images could be constructed. "Behind every stroke of the artist's brush is a vast hinterland of traditional concepts, forms and meanings. His vision is never uniquely his own; it is a new perspective given to the collective experience of his race. It is in this fundamental sense that we speak of Husain being in the authentic tradition of Indian art. He has been unique in his ability to forge a pictorial language which is indisputably of the contemporary Indian situation but surcharged with all the energies, the rhythms of his art heritage." (Ebrahim Alkazi, M F Husain: The Modern Artist and Tradition, New Delhi: Art Heritage, 1978, p. 3)

Husain considered the human figure to be essential in his depictions of the diverse realities of India. "How can I go abstract when there are 600 million people around me in India? It is impossible for me to ignore the multitudes around me. How can I do that as an artist?" (Artist quoted in Yashodhara Dalmia, "The Rise of Modern Art and the Progressives," The Progressive Revolution: Modern Art for A New India, New York: Asia Society, 2019) The human figure accordingly became "the vehicle for his exploration of the nature and drama of reality." (Richard Bartholomew and Shiv S Kapur, Husain, New York: Harry N Abrams Inc., 1972, p. 36)

Animals also recur frequently as motifs in Husain’s works, possessing graceful, energetic forms. Depictions of elephants, tigers, and horses, which are revered in Indian mythology, reference various qualities such as strength, energy, magnificence, power and fertility in their myriad postures and moods. "When we look at these creatures we must remember that the animal is not the subject of Husain's painting; it is the demonic principle that he depicts which is neither good nor bad. The... horses and elephants have become symbols of power and pursuit, or of mysterious encounters." (Rati Bartholomew, Pablo Bartholomew, Carmen Kagal and Rosalyn D’Mello eds., Richard Bartholomew: The Art Critic, New Delhi: BART, 2012, p. 153)

As the present lot indicates, Husain often juxtaposed human figures with those of animals in his paintings. His pairings, whether of horse and rider, bull and peasant, or that of horses and men operating a horse cart in the present lot, create a palpable tension that breathes life into his works. "Husain's metaphor is rich and of great expressiveness. It brings a wide sweep to his way of looking at things, to his many approaches to reality. His symbols and represented objects are often startling in juxtaposition because they are drawn from such far reaches of artistic memory. Dark, intuitive, sometimes traditional symbols are cast within a contemporary design and given meanings that seem valid for this and every other time. And if the innocent in art is also the original, as indeed it is, then innocence is the other noteworthy feature of Husain’s work." (Shiv Kapur, Husain, New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1961, p. i)

Husain's masterful handling of composition and colour was informed by his studies of miniature painting, classical sculpture, and his own travels and observations of rural and urban life. "Above all else, it was the line that was Husain's strongest element and he used it with a bounding energy in his work." (Yashodhara Dalmia, "A Metaphor for Modernity," The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 109) Through masterful strokes, the present lot conveys an array of emotions and forms and is a fine example of Husain's ability to create art that was uniquely expressive of his own vision.

The years before the present lot was painted were a period of steadily rising success for Husain. In fact, he was given the International Biennale award in Tokyo in 1959, the same year wherein the present lot was painted. This global recognition was countered by a continued inward exploration of artistic experiences that were rooted in Indian subjects, themes, aesthetic traditions, and practices. His vast travels through the country provided him with a large repertoire of images and motifs that appear on his canvases imbued with layers of symbolic meaning and emotive content.


JEROO VAKIL MANGO
Jeroo Vakil Mango's journey as an art collector has its roots in a trip to Rajasthan that she had undertaken just before her marriage to Naval Vakil, who was then a partner in one of the leading law firms of India. Her exposure to the colours and sensations of Rajasthan left her wanting to explore the modern art world in greater detail. This was only furthered by Naval’s interest in collecting art as well as attending exhibitions and cultural events, and developing close friendships with Krishen Khanna, Akbar Padamsee, and M F Husain.

The duo's first acquisition together were a couple of Jamini Roys, which eventually expanded into a much larger collection that included works by Padamsee, Khanna, S H Raza, Husain, Satish Gujral, V S Gaitonde, and more.

In fact, Jeroo's first purchase was a work by Khanna from Gallery 59 (owned by Bal Chhabda) that was to be a birthday gift for her husband. Jeroo, who had visited the gallery with Rs 400, was mesmerised by the Khanna painting - which was priced at Rs 1500. She ended up selling off a piece of her jewellery just to make the purchase. Thus began the journey of the both of them gifting works of art to one another, with Naval having given Husain's Man with Horses to Jeroo the same year.

Jeroo's standing within the artist community was so strong that Husain had once called her to ask if he could paint a portrait of her. Jeroo, aware that Husain was flying out to Europe that very night had pushed it off at the time, suggesting that he do this upon his return. While they eventually set up two dates in Mumbai and Delhi for the portrait, Husain failed to appear on either, and the portrait was thus never done.

Besides her journey in art, Jeroo also excelled in sport and business. She, along with Namrata Apparao, won the doubles title in the prestigious Western India tennis championships. She also won the mixed doubles title in the All India championship, along with Joydeep Mukherjee. In addition, she represented India for bridge in the Venice Cup, the world championships for women. In the 1970s, she opened a popular chain of book shops named Danai, eventually operating 11 book shops in Bombay, Poona, Madras, Delhi, and Tirupati.

Even after Naval's untimely demise in 1973, Jeroo continued being an integral part of the art community. She remarried Tony Mango, who was Managing Director and Deputy Chairman of Rallis India - a company he took to new heights - as well as the Consul General for Greece in Bombay in 1965, and continued to buy works of art. She has now passed the baton onto their son, Bahram and wife Arati who continue to follow her footsteps when it comes to their affinity for collecting art.

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