M F Husain
(1915 - 2011)
Untitled
Husain often painted groups of women in rural settings. This grouping is described by critic Shiv S Kapur, as the subjects being "within a community of loneliness." (Richard Bartholomew and Shiv S Kapur, Husain , New York: Harry N Abrams, Inc., 1971, p. 41) In the present lot, the melancholic grey background with only a few splashes of yellow, enhance this sense of isolation. "He uses color emotively, in flat planes and subtle tones, amid...
Husain often painted groups of women in rural settings. This grouping is described by critic Shiv S Kapur, as the subjects being "within a community of loneliness." (Richard Bartholomew and Shiv S Kapur, Husain , New York: Harry N Abrams, Inc., 1971, p. 41) In the present lot, the melancholic grey background with only a few splashes of yellow, enhance this sense of isolation. "He uses color emotively, in flat planes and subtle tones, amid restless active or strongly arresting lines." (Bartholomew and Kapur, p. 42) At the forefront of the canvas are three women and a mule. There is a more indistinct crowd of women in blue behind them, all of them seemingly engaged in some sort of manual labour. Some have speculated that this is a reference to the biblical tale of Mary riding into Bethlehem on a donkey. Husain's sources of inspiration and referencing were as vast as his capacity for creativity.
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Lot
50
of
65
EVENING SALE | MUMBAI, LIVE
13 MARCH 2018
Estimate
Rs 90,00,000 - 1,20,00,000
$140,625 - 187,500
ARTWORK DETAILS
M F Husain
Untitled
Signed and dated 'Husain 60' (lower right)
1960
Oil on canvas
40 x 20 in (101.6 x 50.8 cm)
PROVENANCE: Shelley and Donald Rubin Collection, New York Sotheby's, London, 6 October 2015, lot 9
EXHIBITED:Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest: Modern and Contemporary Indian Art from the Collection of Shelley and Donald Rubin , Atlanta: Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, 15 March - 15 May 2011 PUBLISHED: Rebecca Brown, Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest: Modern and Contemporary Indian Art from the Collection of Shelly and Donald Rubin , Atlanta: Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, 2010, p. 101 (illustrated)
Category: Painting
Style: Figurative
ARTWORK SIZE:
Height of Figure: 6'