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Lot 48

 

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Born in 1915, M.F. Husain was a founding member of the Progressive Artists' Group and remains one of the best known and most prolific Indian modernists today. A self-taught artist for the most part, Husain began his career in the arts as a billboard painter and toy designer. Since his first exhibition of paintings with the Progressives in 1947, however, Husain's modern artistic vocabulary has accommodated almost all of the trends and traditions... Born in 1915, M.F. Husain was a founding member of the Progressive Artists' Group and remains one of the best known and most prolific Indian modernists today. A self-taught artist for the most part, Husain began his career in the arts as a billboard painter and toy designer. Since his first exhibition of paintings with the Progressives in 1947, however, Husain's modern artistic vocabulary has accommodated almost all of the trends and traditions that have marked the development of modern Indian art.

Early in his career, Husain travelled all over India to learn as much as he could about its various peoples and cultures to better shape the unique idiom he was developing for modern Indian art. In the present lot, probably painted in the late 1950s, Husain offers a scene from Kashmir, India's northernmost state. The artist represents the state through a shikara or traditional wooden boat, along with its bearded boatman, whose silhouette bears a striking resemblance to that of the artist. Shikaras are a common sight on Srinagar's Dal Lake, often referred to as the 'Jewel in Kashmir's Crown', and have become symbolic of the beauty of the region.

Divided in half by the boatman's long oar, this canvas painted with thick brushstrokes speaks of the early command Husain was able to exercise over medium, form and composition. While the seated boatman occupies the right side of the frame, a complete shikara with two shadowy figures can be seen on the left, creating the illusion of space and distance with a few masterful strokes.

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