K. Laxma Goud (b. 1940)

Acquired directly from the artist in 1985

Purchased from the above by a private collector, New Delhi

Purchased from the above by a private collector, Jaipur, 2014

Laxma Goud’s work most often represents traditional people amidst the rural landscape of his native Andhra Pradesh, as seen in this work. This arresting composition also reflects Goud’s signature subtle eroticism, as the couple on the left defies traditional decorum and are in close proximity to each other. Characteristic of Goud’s subdued pastel palette and distinct use of line, his painting practice is rooted in a lifelong passion for the purity of drawing. He believes that “‘drawing is very pure.’ It requires only the simplest tools. The process is meditative, spiritual, seductive, and elevating; it is both sensual (gratifying to the physical senses) and sensuous (aesthetically pleasing). Goud wants viewers to experience these pleasures, too: ‘I want to seduce them with my line.’” (Susan S. Bean, Midnight to the Boom: Painting in India after Independence, 2013, p. 148).