ARUN BOSE | UNTITLED (FISH VENDOR)

Private Collection

Sothebys London, 17 June 1998, lot 151

Born in Dhaka (British India in 1934), Arun Bose formally studied art at the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Calcutta followed by graphic art in Paris at the Atelier 17 under the guidance of noted print maker Stanley William Hayter. Subsequently he studied fresco painting at the l'École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. This education directly impacted his art- both his prints as well as paintings where he looked to give his two-dimensional forms a 3-D feel by building surfaces. This is apparent even in the current lot where the work has a stony surface. Bose is known to have used layers of paints, occasionally rubbing the canvas with a rag dipped in alcohol to achieve the feel of old worn stones. Post his education in Paris, Bose moved back to Calcutta for 4 years before permanently relocating to New York. ‘Bose’s paintings emanate elegance and technical skill while depicting the quiet, serene joy in the visible mysteries of daily life… its undeniable that this mind and its contained memories are in their essence Bengali.’ (Exhibition Catalogue, Arun Bose: Recent Paintings, BosePaciaModern, New York, 25 April – 27 June 1998, unpaginated) Bose describes his inspiration clearly: "I have no axe to grind and no profound message to impart. I am not driven by the unseen forces of the mind and do not try to delve into the dark recesses of the sub-conscious. My art is a visual experience that delights the senses and gives us a moment of beauty."(https://armstrongfineart.com/collections/arun-bose) Bose had many awards to his credit including the Best Oil Painting award received from the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi (1959) and the John D. Rockefeller 3^rd Fund Fellowship (1968). His work was featured in the Biennale of Paris (1963), Sao Paulo Biennale (1967- 68) and the Tokyo Biennale (1969) among others.