Important Notice

Originally commissioned by the Times of India to commemorate the New Year, the present lot, a mural-scale triptych, was first published on 1 January 2002, just under the masthead on the front page of the newspaper with the largest circulation in the world. This monumental painting marks the strife that characterised the year 2001, particularly the terrorist attacks in the United States and the war they precipitated, as well as the hope that... Originally commissioned by the Times of India to commemorate the New Year, the present lot, a mural-scale triptych, was first published on 1 January 2002, just under the masthead on the front page of the newspaper with the largest circulation in the world. This monumental painting marks the strife that characterised the year 2001, particularly the terrorist attacks in the United States and the war they precipitated, as well as the hope that Husain continues to hold for the future despite it. In the caption published below the image of this painting, the artist noted, "We are at a crossroads. But let's not give up...the ground beneath our feet has been snatched away [but] All is not lost. There's something to look forward to in 2002" (Times of India, 1 January, 2002).

On the left panel, two leaves from a Pipal tree, which traditionally represents knowledge and enlightenment, are shown suspended in mid air, perhaps symbolizing humanity's fall from grace. The leaves, inspired by the couplet he has inscribed on the canvas, also echo the fall of the blue figure on the right panel, frozen against a black void ringed with red. The angst of the falling figure and the violence of this image, however, are countered by the child at the center of the painting, reaching out to catch the leaves before they hit the ground. Throughout his career, birth and the image of the child have been symbolic of new hope for Husain. In this work, it is hope for a New Year free of violence and suffering.

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