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Lot Essay
“My horses like lightning, cut across many horizons. Seldom their hooves are shown. They hop around the spaces. From the battlefield of 'Karbala' to Bankura terracotta, from the Chinese Tse pei Hung horse to St. Marco horse, from ornate armoured 'Duldul' to challenging white of 'Ashwamedh' [ ...] the cavalcade of my horses is multidimensional." (Artist statement, Husain, Mumbai, 1987, p. 83)
From East to West, throughout history, the horse has been a universal fascination and inspiration for artists. From Chinese terracottas of antiquity and ancient Rome to Leonardo, Gericault and Picasso, the horse has been a perennial muse which has transcended time, circumstance and culture. The relationship between the artist and this revered beast is also profoundly personal, becoming a vehicle of outward expression of both an inner meditation and a universal subject.
Maqbool Fida Husain encountered the equine figure throughout his life across and travels across various cultures. He acknowledges the influence of the Tang pottery horses he studied on a trip to China and the equestrian sculptures of Marino Marini he discovered in Italy. However, the horse also resonates with Husain's admiration for Ancient Greece, a civilisation which championed and deified the equestrian form. The Trojan Horse, Pegasus and Alexander's prized Bucephalus keep the company of these iconic stallions which permeate the mythological and historical past of hallowed antiquity. The horse is Husain’s most iconic trope appearing in his work as early as the 1950s. In this early example, this horse is depicted with a wild primordial temperament, a metaphor perhaps for the very nature of art for Husain.
From East to West, throughout history, the horse has been a universal fascination and inspiration for artists. From Chinese terracottas of antiquity and ancient Rome to Leonardo, Gericault and Picasso, the horse has been a perennial muse which has transcended time, circumstance and culture. The relationship between the artist and this revered beast is also profoundly personal, becoming a vehicle of outward expression of both an inner meditation and a universal subject.
Maqbool Fida Husain encountered the equine figure throughout his life across and travels across various cultures. He acknowledges the influence of the Tang pottery horses he studied on a trip to China and the equestrian sculptures of Marino Marini he discovered in Italy. However, the horse also resonates with Husain's admiration for Ancient Greece, a civilisation which championed and deified the equestrian form. The Trojan Horse, Pegasus and Alexander's prized Bucephalus keep the company of these iconic stallions which permeate the mythological and historical past of hallowed antiquity. The horse is Husain’s most iconic trope appearing in his work as early as the 1950s. In this early example, this horse is depicted with a wild primordial temperament, a metaphor perhaps for the very nature of art for Husain.