PIRAJI SAGARA | Untitled (Kashmir Landscape with Three Figures)

Acquired from the Artist's Family Collection, Ahmedabad, circa 2000s

There is craquelure and small losses to the paint throughout. The board underneath is visible where the losses are slightly more signficant. Nails have been driven into the edges, most likely by the artist, resulting in further losses to the paint and board. This painting has been lightly cleaned by a professional conservator and is in stable condition for its age, as viewed.
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Piraji Sagara trained at the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai and later taught at the School of Architecture in Ahmedabad. Piraji went on to participate in the Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil in 1971. Piraji came from the Sagara community who arrived in Ahmedabad from Rajasthan at the start of the 20th century and were known for their skill in cutting and shaping objects out of wood.  Piraji's initial experiments with ornamental scrap, metal and wood resulted in the development of his distinctive 'wood collages' that were a unique personal impression influenced by his inherited cultural traditions. His work raised the craft traditions of his ancestors to the level of high art. 'Piraji is unique in his total absorption and assimilation of the traditional, religious art of his region and the equally ancient folk art of Saurashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.' (D. Nadkarni, Bombay, 5 January, 1982). Piraji was a master at manipulating his medium, as aptly displayed in the current work where the artist has used wood, oil, sanddust and paint. Commenting on his Kashmir series, Subhash Shah highlights his use of 'very heavy and powerful colour strokes for dark walls, demonstrating how much he could achieve with the range of colours. His feeling for the paint also could be seen in the expressive texture of his strokes.' (S. Shah, Piraji Sagara, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, 1995, unpaginated)

Swaminathan in 1982, writing about Piraji, highlights the tactile quality of his work. 'In the textures which build up the rhythm and the movement of his imagery, he uses materials drawn from folk culture. The textures, therefore, are not merely visual stimulants; they are also palpable patches of evidence of a culture under travail...The strong decorative element in folk/traditional Indian art is carried forward in his work, but the materials and the method he uses give it robustness and physicality; his works are sculptured reliefs.' (J. Swaminathan, 29 November, 1982, Bhopal)