Maqbool Fida Husain b. 1915 Untitled

Husain was fascinated with horses from an early age.  As a young boy his grandfather used to take him to the local farrier and told him stories about horses.  These horses from myth and legend became the building blocks for one of the artist's most enduring themes.

In 1952 Husain visited China where he studied the Sung dynasty's depiction of horses and met with the painter Chi'i Pai-shih whose works inspired Husain with their minimalistic use of line to acheive form and movement.  'To Husain the act of painting seems more important and vital than the completed work.  And so it happens that the totality of a particular concept is explored and projected through an extended cycle of works... Apparently incomplete, the single work reveals its logic and relevance when seen as one stage in a continuum, an integral part of a larger and ever-expanding whole.' (E. Alkazi, M.F. Husain: The Modern Artist and Tradition, New Delhi, p.3)