Important Notice

Lot 47

For almost a decade, starting in the late 1950s, Husain concentrated on painting a series of canvases related to classical Indian sculpture, music, and dance. This series of canvases also incorporated many of the subjects and themes from the artist`s earlier work, most notably the central female figure. Inspired by traditional Indian sculpture, where music and musicians were popular subjects, Husain attempted to capture the multifaceted nature... For almost a decade, starting in the late 1950s, Husain concentrated on painting a series of canvases related to classical Indian sculpture, music, and dance. This series of canvases also incorporated many of the subjects and themes from the artist`s earlier work, most notably the central female figure. Inspired by traditional Indian sculpture, where music and musicians were popular subjects, Husain attempted to capture the multifaceted nature of artistic expression on his canvas. In these paintings, the artist sought to relate the aesthetics of modern art with the movements of classical Indian dance, the sounds of different Ragas, and the textures of temple carvings.

Husain “has tuned himself into the disciplines of several arts. The vibrations of dance, music and Urdu poetry are caught in a jagged thrust of lines and colors. He can draw and paint with complete surrender to the sound and graphic representations of these modes. Musical rhythm or pure sound finds its way easily into the schemes of the paintings” (Roshan Shahani, Let History Cut Across Me without Me, Vadehra Art Gallery, Exhibition Catalgoue, 1993, p. 1).

The present lot, an oil on canvas executed with Husain`s characteristic strong line and bold palette, communicates both motion and music through its two-dimensional surface. In the central figure`s gently bowed head, angled arms, and folded feet, the artist offers his interpretation of the tribhanga posture that was commonly used in Indian sculpture to reflect movement. And in her strumming of the sitar and the pair of tablas at her feet, Husain evokes the simple but powerful notes of the Raga she has chosen to play. The artist`s striking choice of color for the musician`s hands, the tablas, and the background emphasize the sense of sound and movement in the piece, infusing it with a vibrant, rhythmic energy.

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