Narayan Shridhar Bendre (1910 - 1992)

Excellent overall condition, as viewed. This lot is exhibited in a temporary frame.
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In 1943, Narayan Shridhar Bendre was hailed by the Times of India as the leading artist of his generation.  For a brief period he taught M. F. Husain, helped him gain admission to the Sir J. J. School of Art in Bombay and encouraged other artists, including K. H. Ara, to persevere with their vocation. Ironically, as the modernist thrust of the artists that he had taught began to capture the imagination of the Indian art scene, Bendre’s own style became overlooked. In retrospect, however, he is considered to be one of the most significant Indian artists of the twentieth century. From the late 1960's, women become a focal point in Bendre's work. Although his technique had been adopted from western artistic movements, including the customary use of black and brown paint similar to that of the German expressionists, the inspiration for his work was always drawn directly from the world around him. These familiar scenes, idyllic vignettes of village women in bucolic settings, were painted with deceptively little modelling.

The present work represents two women who acquire a monumental stature through the two-dimensional stylization of their forms and their authority of the picture plane. Bent forward, their synchronized body language and similar garb portray their accord with one another. They are in control of their natural environment, yet one with it: Bendre deliberately utilizes a controlled palette such that the arid, solid tones of their skin and vestments reflect the fragmented colors of the field. Due to the minimalistic backdrop, elimination of detail, and lack of perspective, the women appear pasted on to a flat setting, creating a mood simultaneously dreamy and earthly. The scene is a tranquil moment that reveals the natural interdependency between people and between humans and their environs.

Bendre explains, “Man is the centre of my universe, along with his emotions, his love, his social intercourse, his surroundings.”(N.S. Bendre, “My Painting", Bendre: The Painter and The Person, The Bendre Foundation for Art and Culture & Indus Corp., Toronto, 1990, p. 63).