Important Notice

“The mind moves through the object to the idea, and through the idea to the object. Thus, the work becomes concrete and abstract at the same time.” - JAGDISH SWAMINATHAN

The present lot belongs to Jagdish Swaminathan’s celebrated ‘Bird, Mountain, Tree’ series which he began working on in the late 1960s. Spanning over two decades, paintings from this series feature the three symbolic objects in various permutations, colours and... “The mind moves through the object to the idea, and through the idea to the object. Thus, the work becomes concrete and abstract at the same time.” - JAGDISH SWAMINATHAN

The present lot belongs to Jagdish Swaminathan’s celebrated ‘Bird, Mountain, Tree’ series which he began working on in the late 1960s. Spanning over two decades, paintings from this series feature the three symbolic objects in various permutations, colours and relationships, while retaining subtle distinctions.

The series is indicative of Swaminathan’s preoccupation with the creation of a truly Indian modern art by turning inward and looking at the nation’s own folk and indigenous art traditions. Drawing from basic symbols and geometric shapes found particularly in Central India and Himachal Pradesh, the paintings in the series are “luminous and induce a meditative calm. They are suggestive, open to interpretation: as an expression of the self’s unity with nature, they can be seen as a visual equivalent to the transcendental principle expounded in the Upanishads. They also approximate the numen, the basis of most primitive art. Formally, they relate to the paintings of Paul Klee and to Pahari miniatures - Klee sought in his art the power of communion and an affinity with nature; the mystical aspirations are characteristic of Kangra paintings.” (Amrita Jhaveri, A Guide to 101 Modern and Contemporary Indian Artists, Mumbai: India Book House, 2005, p. 93)

Much like in Pahari miniature paintings, Swaminathan used “sublime colour expanses” in this series “to create imaginary worlds that were poetic and often communicated a deep tranquility.” (Abhilasha Ojha, “Jagdish Swaminathan,” Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art, New Delhi: DAG, 2016, p. 427) As evident in the present lot, many other formal qualities of miniature paintings can also be easily recognised in these compositions - the flat expanse of saturated colour, the fine detailing of the rocks, and the simple white bands that contain these elements at the upper and lower edges.

The present lot notably shows a geometric staircase instead of the customary tree motif. The staircase, which is split-toned, is suggestive of what Suren Navlakha calls “a curious dualism” seen in Swaminathan’s works. “There is assertion, and also submission. There is defiance, and also prayer....there is a homage to the quiet, almost placid splendour of timelessness, of contained animation.” (Suren Navlakha, Exhibition of Paintings by J Swaminathan, New Delhi: Dhoomimal Gallery, 1979) Set against a vibrant red, Swaminathan juxtaposes the bold, flat colours of the staircase and birds with mystical imagery of the mountain, producing an effect that is, at once, surreal and introspective.

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