Important Notice

"Commonly referred to as the Bird and Mountain series, the paintings 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 power of communion and an affinity with... "Commonly referred to as the Bird and Mountain series, the paintings 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 power of communion and an affinity with nature; the mystical aspirations are characteristic of Kangra paintings." (Amrita Jhaveri, A Guide to 101 Modern & Contemporary Indian Artists, Mumbai: India Book House Pvt. Ltd., 2005, p93)

Jagdish Swaminathan's art shows a maturing in concept over the decades. His interest in art was kindled in the 1950s with the formation of the "group 1890": a confluence of like-minded artists seeking a balance between various styles and concepts, rooted in the belief that art generates it own life and is hence unique. He believed that ideas revolving around Indian art were predominantly artistocratic and needed to be challeneged. On this premise, he delved into primitive styles and semiotics. Graduating to a more pictorial idiom with the use of specific symbols taken from folk and tribal art, he soon began using geometric shapes with pure colours. Experimenting with colours, his geometric elements soon began representing simplified versions of day-to-day images. Through the 60s and 70s, his use of natural elements like mountains, trees, birds and water began gaining more prominence, and it is from these motifs that his series of Birds and Mountains came into existence.

This 1978 lot is part of the series. The birds ascend in a graceful manner against an ochre-toned sky, going beyond the sun. The steps remain ambiguous-do they seem to lead to the sun, or do they form the head of a temple? Especially interesting is the stairway rendered in gradation - from white to black does this hint at the duality, the merging of the two spheres? These motifs are likely to suggest different metaphors depending on the viewer.

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