Manjit Bawa (1941-2008)

Good overall condition. Please note that the dimensions for this work are incorrect in the catalogue. This work measures 68 1/2 by 84 in. (174 by 213.4 cm).
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.

The magnificent Mirza Sahib, by Manjit Bawa, demonstrates the distinctive human-animal dynamic so prevalent in the artist's works. This rare figurative work on canvas embodies the wordless dialogue between the species, '... that throws its participants back onto an older, nearly forgotten language of instinct and intuition,' (Hoskote, Manjit Bawa, Modern Miniatures Recent Paintings, Bose Pacia, 2000).

Manjit Bawa's luminous works on canvas represent a unique exploration of color, form and space, drawing the viewer into an intimate experience of the artist's world. The artist's distinctive use of color was grounded in his formal training as a serigrapher and printer, and his early study of Rajput and Pahari miniature paintings. For Bawa, the simplicity of line and form was always contrasted by the subtle graduation of color and the artist's use of chiaroscuro. His figures possess a plasticity sculptural in form yet suspended weightlessly in a space that is void of time and context.

Mirza Sahib is a famous Punjabi tragic romance, one of Manjit Bawa’s favorite themes. As Bawa himself was born in Dhuri, Punjab, characters from other beloved Punjabi folktales, such as Heer Ranjha, make appearances in many of Bawa’s paintings.

Similar in theme to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Mirza and Sahiba were star-crossed lovers from opposing families, forcibly betrothed to others whom they did not love. The young lovers Mirza and Sahiba decided to run away together, closely pursued by Sahiba’s vengeful brothers. Certain that her brothers meant her beloved no harm, Sahiba broke all of Mirza’s arrows whilst he was sleeping to prevent harm to her family. When her brothers arrived thereafter, they slaughtered Mirza immediately. Upon witnessing this murder, Sahiba took a sword from one of her brothers and ended her own life. 

In the current, work, Sahiba appears to hover atop her lover’s fallen, prostrate body. Mirza’s bow hangs upon a tree, while surrealistic elements—small animals, fruit, and of course, Sahiba herself—float at center canvas. She raises her hands to her eyes in an apparent gesture of mourning, both for herself and for Mirza. Bawa summarizes the universal pathos of the folktale in a single moment, that in which Sahiba acknowledges both her past and her future destiny in one glimpse of the murdered Mirza.