Important Notice

Sadanand Bakre began his artistic career in the 1940s, a period when many of his contemporaries were searching for a form of expression that was in keeping with the evolving realities of a newly independent India. Art historian Yashodhara Dalmia describes his work as “a bridge between the old realist tradition and the free forms that were being ushered in. Even as his work was eclectic and varied, his forays into portraiture, his narrative and... Sadanand Bakre began his artistic career in the 1940s, a period when many of his contemporaries were searching for a form of expression that was in keeping with the evolving realities of a newly independent India. Art historian Yashodhara Dalmia describes his work as “a bridge between the old realist tradition and the free forms that were being ushered in. Even as his work was eclectic and varied, his forays into portraiture, his narrative and abstract sculptures were an attempt at finding a contemporary expressive means.” (Yashodhara Dalmia, The Making of Modern Indian Art, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 187)

Bakre was the only formally trained sculptor of the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group, of which he was a founding member, but began painting after relocating to England in 1950. Over time, he shifted from academic realism to abstraction, asserting, “I am traditionally trained and perfectly capable of accomplishing completely realistic work. But my interest in forms has gone far beyond the dull imitations of subject matter, which to me is almost unimportant.” (Free Press Bulletin, 24 March 1965) Bakre’s paintings from this period reflect his sculptural sensibilities. By 1959, he had entered what Dalmia identifies as his “spiky phase,” characterised by “small triangles wedged into each other to create geometrical shapes that reached out aggressively from all sides. There was an undefinable sense of urgency about them, as they disrupted space and created sharp, projecting jolts.” (Dalmia, p. 194)

The present lot, delineated with bold, decisive lines, exemplifies Bakre’s prowess as both a draughtsman and a colourist. It also recalls the advice Charles Gerrard, the head of the JJ School of Art, Bombay, once gave him as a student: “Make a sharp line. Whatever line you make, make it masterly, give it life.” (Dalmia, p. 189) Its angular, geometric forms were also likely inspired by the Vorticists whom he was greatly influenced by. The members of the group “were known for their anti-realist character and they expressed the human figure and its surroundings in a jagged, rhythmical, and linear style verging on total abstraction. The vigour and energy of modern life was shown in taut, expressive forms that favoured the angular over the curved, the hard over the soft, and the precise over the undefined.” (Dalmia, p. 195)

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site