- 52
Gulam Rasool Santosh (1929-1997)
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Gulam Rasool Santosh
- Untitled
- Signed in Devanagari and dated '56' lower left
- Gouache on paper pasted on cloth, laid on board
- 35 by 60 3/4 in. (88.9 by 154.2 cm)
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist's family
Condition
Good overall condition. Three light, vertical creases along upper edge where paper is pasted down. Lower left and right corners slightly discolored and creased but securely pasted down. Colors in catalogue illustration somewhat oversaturated.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
“Throughout his career, G.R. Santosh experimented with a wide variety of forms, never leaving the figural behind while reaching for an expression of shared cosmic and bodily energies. Santosh’s formal and philosophical commitments emerged within a larger political and historical context that enabled his artistic transformation from figural and landscape expressionism to a symmetrical, geometric tantric-inspired idiom. The period of the early 1960s–politically, historically, and artistically–represents an important turning point for India, and Santosh’s work participated in and contributed to this larger cultural shift ...
"For an artist skilled as a portraitist, it should be no surprise that Santosh made the transition as a figurative painter with such ease. For Santosh, each figurative canvas became a medium to tell a complete story emerging from the everyday life of Kashmir. He would fill the spaces, the background etched in minimally but hinting at the poplars and the fields, the lakes and rivers, while the protagonists would be stylized to fill the canvas, though they never veered away from the streets and fields of the valley that would remain his inspiration throughout his career. The use of earthy colors characterizes this period most strongly, something he would carry with him through a later abstract phase as well–preparation for which is evident in this and other paintings made during the late 1950s and early 60s. Critics lauded the use of a strong outline and deliberate strokes of color while evaluating his contribution to the emerging modernism of the time," (Singh, Awakening: A Retrospective of G.R. Santosh, New Delhi, 2011, pp. 28-58).
"For an artist skilled as a portraitist, it should be no surprise that Santosh made the transition as a figurative painter with such ease. For Santosh, each figurative canvas became a medium to tell a complete story emerging from the everyday life of Kashmir. He would fill the spaces, the background etched in minimally but hinting at the poplars and the fields, the lakes and rivers, while the protagonists would be stylized to fill the canvas, though they never veered away from the streets and fields of the valley that would remain his inspiration throughout his career. The use of earthy colors characterizes this period most strongly, something he would carry with him through a later abstract phase as well–preparation for which is evident in this and other paintings made during the late 1950s and early 60s. Critics lauded the use of a strong outline and deliberate strokes of color while evaluating his contribution to the emerging modernism of the time," (Singh, Awakening: A Retrospective of G.R. Santosh, New Delhi, 2011, pp. 28-58).