Anjolie Ela Menon (b.1940)

Acquired from a private collector in Mumbai

K. Singh ed., Manifestations VIII, 75 Artists: 20th Century Indian Art, New Delhi, Delhi Art Gallery, 2012, illustration p. 124

There is hairline craquelure present across the surface of the work. Very minor flecks of paint loss particularly around her face and lower right corner. Frame: Scattered chips to frame.
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Anjolie Ela Menon was the recipient of the French Government scholarship to the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, after which she travelled extensively in Europe and West Asia studying Romanesque and Byzantine art, the influence of which pervades many of her works. She first learned to paint with oils in Paris in 1960 and was introduced to the numerous techniques of layering and glazing, favored by the European Baroque painters. This knowledge led to an output of luminous painting surfaces that appear to have the patina of age. The light ochre, russet and rich browns in this painting recall Rabindranath Tagore's landscapes, a palette favoured by Bengali artists. The haunting face of the woman portrayed is reminiscent of Menon's earlier studies of heads. There is a sense of unease in her works. Here the woman is inviting a voyeuristic gaze with her palm outstretched and her fair skin and light hair is in juxtaposition with the darker surroundings and subjects. For a similar composition see Madonna of Merriweather Road, 1974; Isana Murti, Anjolie Ela Menon: Paintings in Private Collections, New Delhi, 1995, pl. 34.