Important Notice

Husain's depiction of three women conversing in the shade of a tree is reminiscent of his paintings of groups of women in rural settings, portraying the subjects "within a community of loneliness." (Richard Bartholomew and Shiv S Kapur, Husain, New York: Harry N Abrams, Inc., 1971, p. 41) The emotive use of colour and lines separates them from their surroundings and other people in the vicinity, placing the focus on the scene in the... Husain's depiction of three women conversing in the shade of a tree is reminiscent of his paintings of groups of women in rural settings, portraying the subjects "within a community of loneliness." (Richard Bartholomew and Shiv S Kapur, Husain, New York: Harry N Abrams, Inc., 1971, p. 41) The emotive use of colour and lines separates them from their surroundings and other people in the vicinity, placing the focus on the scene in the foreground. These groups are "projections of the collective unconscious, the collectivity of such symbols guaranteeing their validity." (Bartholomew and Kapur, p. 42)

Husain's depictions of women are deeply rooted in Indian sculpture and miniature painting, as well as his own travels and observations of rural and urban life. The female forms in his paintings take their cues from the energy and dynamism of Mathura sculptures, while aspects of Jain miniature painting techniques also seep into his work. "The central concern of Husain's art, and its dominant motif, is woman... Spiritually, woman is more enduring. In Husain's work, woman has the gift of eagerness... and an inward attentiveness, as if she were listening to the life coursing within her." (Bartholomew and Kapur, p. 46)

The present lot is rendered in a muted palette with white, blue and earth tones, with strong lines dividing the scene into sections. "Above all else, it was the line that was Husain's strongest element and he used it with a bounding energy in his work. The deft strokes that came from an early acquaintance with calligraphy now encased the figure in simple, economic points of intersection." (Yashodhara Dalmia, "A Metaphor for Modernity," The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 109)

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