Important Notice

K H Ara's entry and success into the Indian art world has been described as nothing short of "astonishing" by art critics and historians. Born to a Dalit bus driver in a village in Andhra Pradesh, Ara ran away to Bombay at the age of seven, began working as a car cleaner, and eventually discovered he could paint. Using an apropos metaphor for the still life paintings that Ara eventually became famous for, critic Jagmohan compares the artist's... K H Ara's entry and success into the Indian art world has been described as nothing short of "astonishing" by art critics and historians. Born to a Dalit bus driver in a village in Andhra Pradesh, Ara ran away to Bombay at the age of seven, began working as a car cleaner, and eventually discovered he could paint. Using an apropos metaphor for the still life paintings that Ara eventually became famous for, critic Jagmohan compares the artist's evolution as a painter to "a flowering plant that manages to shoot out from under the boulder to tantalize us with its colours. For in spite of the socio-economic burden of his people and his initial venture as a car cleaner, he emerged as a selftaught painter who had dazzled the eyes of innumerable people with his colourful, imaginative, expressionist paintings." (Quoted in Yashodhara Dalmia, The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2001, p. 131)

A largely untrained artist, Ara "did some evening work in a studio doing... object drawings, passed a Teacher's examination and painted under all sorts of influences." (Rudy von Leyden, "Ara," New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1965, criticalcollective.in, online) He was encouraged and influenced by Walter Langhammer to a great extent. He studied various forms of European modern art in Europe, experimenting with Cubism, deconstructivism as well as more traditional formalism. But ultimately, Ara's art was his own. "...there are few painters who handle colour expressively with as much certainty of touch as Ara in his best work... Ara's art has always been intuitive, imaginative, spontaneous and improvised... The real secret of Ara's work... is to be found in the simple and enduring joy of being able to paint." (Leyden, online) The present lot, an impastoladen rustic and lush landscape, offers a glimpse into the width and depth of his practice.

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