Jehangir Sabavala (b. 1922)

Good overall condition. The colors of the original are similar to that of the catalogue.
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Ranjit Hoskote has noted that Sabavala remains entranced by the memory of a hypnotic object that used to sit on his grandfather's desk.  The object was a paperweight formed from four glass spheres that reflected and refracted the light.  Looking through the talisman Sabavala would see 'a jigsaw-puzzle of saxe blue sky and waving frond, multi-coloured garden and crested sea.' Although it would be a mistake to forcibly compress an artist's inspiration into a single moment, it is clear that the memory of the refracted and splintered forms of the universe as seen through the spheres has been a catalyst for the style and compositional forms produced by Sabavala over his long career. Yet his painterly approach, based on his rigorous understanding of Cubism, has been endlessly refined and reworked to create images of deceptive simplicity.

'I observe an object or a landscape to which I intuitively respond.  I analyze it to find the myriad tones that make up its color.  I may see ten or more shades in the grey-blue or slate jade of the sea on a particular day. I make notes of these nuances - of the time of day the mood, the season - and they enter my paintings in combinations that are unpredictable.' (Ranjit Hoskote, Sabavala, Pilgrim, Exile, Sorcerer, Bombay, 1998).

In the current work the audience is transported to the realm of the Himalayas where remote temples and Buddhist stupas nestle amongst imposing mountain crags. The image follows a series of paintings based on pilgrimage, a theme that Sabavala has returned to over several decades. His landscapes and figures are idealized forms that reflect his personal artistic journey that is increasingly spiritual in outlook. In his own words, "Two Chhõrtens, wayside reliquaries, nestle at the feet of a snow-clad massif. In this painting I have tried to maintain the austerity of color and structure that the subject and composition evoke. You are in an awesome landscape on the frontier where India and Tibet merge." (Interview with the artist).

'Over time, Sabavala's landscapes expand to reflect a spiritual quest.  Embarkations and voyages become pilgrimages in which he evokes images of wanderers, seekers, and lost tribes...often veiled and draped, the figures exude an aura of mystery - they make enigmatic gestures or seem to be in deep meditation.' (Amrita Jhaveri, A Guide to 101 Modern and Contemporary Indian Artists, Mumbai, 2005).