Maqbool Fida Husain (b. 1915)

Signed in Devanagari lower right, Oil on canvas laid down on board. Canvas appears to be in very good condition. Colors of original brighter than catalogue illustration.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

From the outset of his career as an artist, Husain's vision has remained based on a deeply entrenched Indian sensibility. In 1948 Husain visited the India Independence Exhibition with F. N. Souza where he saw Gupta sculpture and traditional Miniature painting from the Rajput and Pahari courts. This seemed to be a crystallizing moment in his career, acting as the catalyst for the evolution of his own unique visual vocabulary that combines the palette of the Indian miniature tradition with the voluptuous curves and fluid postures of Indian classical sculpture and the abstracted symbols folk art.

'We went to Delhi together to see that big exhibition of Indian sculptures and miniatures which was shown in 1948...It was humbling. I came back to Bombay and in 1948 I came out with five paintings, which was the turning point in my life. I deliberately picked up two or three periods of Indian history. One was the classical period of the Guptas. The very sensuous form of the female body. Next, was the Basholi period. The strong colours of the Basholi miniatures. The last was the folk element. With these three combined, and using colors very boldly as I did with cinema hoardings...I went to town...That was the breaking point...To come out of the influence of British academic painting and the Bengal revivalist school...' (Husain in an interview with Pritish Nandy, The Illustrated Weekly of India, December 4-10, 1983).

In late 1967 Husain travelled to Kerala and produced a series of works in response to the lush vegetation and wildlife of the region. Two works from 1967 titled Naga Naginis I & II with figures painted in deep blues, red and oranges set onto pale backgrounds are strikingly similar in compositional structure and palette to the present work. The oval form of the hooded cobra with forked tongue present in Naga Nagini I reappears in the current work and the yogic posture of the central figure reflects the mood of the prana mudra of Naga Nagini II so the current work appears to provide a counterpoint to the other works from this series. The snake or Naga, a traditional symbol of fertility in the classical Indian tradition is reworked into Husain's own unique symbolism through a series of inter-related canvases.

'Husain's metaphor is rich and of great expressiveness. It brings a wide sweep to his way of looking at things, to his many approaches to reality. His symbols and represented objects are often startling in juxtaposition because they are drawn from such far reaches of artistic memory. Dark, intuitive sometimes traditional symbols are cast within contemporary design and given meanings that seem valid for this and every other time.' (Shiv S. Kapur, Husain, Lalit Kala Akademi, 1961, p. 1).