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M F HUSAIN
(1913 ‒ 2011)
Untitled
Signed and dated ‘78’ (on the reverse)
1978
Oil on canvas
35.25 x 25.5 in (89.5 x 64.5 cm)
Rs 80,00,000 ‒ 1,20,00,000
$ 119,405 ‒ 179,105
M F Husain’s painting of
Saraswati, who signifies
knowledge and music, as
identified by the
veena
,
peacock and lotus, is part of
his series on musicians that
he began in 1959 and often
revisited over the decades.
The
veena
seen here is
typical of the iconography
associated with the deity
and is a recurring motif
in Husain’s paintings of
musicians. The inspiration
to draw from classical Indian
music and dance perhaps
dates back to the artist’s
exposure to music recitals
and dance performances
during his childhood in the
city of Indore, which in the
late 1930s, under the rule of
the princely Holkar dynasty,
was an important centre of
arts and culture. The artist
adds dynamic notes of
red, green and blue to the
otherwise earthy swatches
of ochre and white to create
a composition executed
in precise lines to achieve
harmony of colour and form.
PROVENANCE:
Acquired from Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai, 1978
Thence by descent
Private Collection, UK