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Lot Essay
“Where are those lips? Where are those caresses? Where is her seamless love? Her purity? Where is the fountain, the springwell, the gush, the lava of her love erupting from every pore? Perhaps the embers of her love remain unextinguished within her child today. He is restless, continues to look for her everywhere. But where, where, where?” (K. Mohamed, Husain, Where Art Thou, Mumbai, 2002, p. 14).
The woman, the mother, the timeless feminine form hidden in both memory and longing is a theme Maqbool Fida Husain constantly returned to in his work. The present lot embodies the ambiguity and mystery of the artist’s memories and longing; however, it also addresses the way in which Husain saw the female form “as an embodiment of womanhood, of purity and strength” (K. Mohamed, Mumbai, 2002, p. xxx). Through his painted figures, Husain moves beyond a mere expression of sentiment to show his admiration for women at the most basic levels of society who often predominate village and home affairs, both sacred and secular.
The central figure in this painting and her shadowy companion depicted in blue both face the viewer. Husain hints at their features through his placement of their jewelry, differently colored highlights suggesting noses, and soft lines for lips. While all three of the artist’s figures seem to engage in silent conversation with each other, these two women also command the attention of the viewer through their inexplicable featureless gazes.
The female figure on the left is the most abstracted of the three, yet she also seems to be the focus of the painting. Portrayed in profile and appearing to wear a mask reminiscent of the women in Pablo Picasso’s seminal painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, her mystique sets her apart from her companions. Husain portrays her in profile with her left arm raised and pointing skywards. Rejecting stillness in his work and calling still life “inert”, the artist noted that “the French call it la vie morte” which translates to “the dead life” (K. Mohamed, Mumbai, 2002, p. xiv). It is unsurprising then that hand gestures, or mudras, are prevalent in many of Husain’s paintings. Here, the raised hand seems to present a variation of prana mudra denoting life energy or the soul. Along with her almost glowing arm, this woman’s form is illuminated with yellow detailing, giving her a subtle golden glow that also encircles her companions, as if protecting them from the darkness beyond.
While Husain’s subjects have a degree of featureless anonymity, their identity is defined by the relationships and spaces they share. In the present lot, Husain is not offering his viewers the image of a social meeting in an ambiguous setting. It is, instead, an intimate portrayal of female friendship, strength, protection and guidance. One of the experiences that led the artist to such portrayals was the early loss of his mother, when he was too young to remember her face. In paintings like the present lot, Husain gives his mother and the universal concept of Mother form in the figure of a strong woman guiding and caring for others.
The woman, the mother, the timeless feminine form hidden in both memory and longing is a theme Maqbool Fida Husain constantly returned to in his work. The present lot embodies the ambiguity and mystery of the artist’s memories and longing; however, it also addresses the way in which Husain saw the female form “as an embodiment of womanhood, of purity and strength” (K. Mohamed, Mumbai, 2002, p. xxx). Through his painted figures, Husain moves beyond a mere expression of sentiment to show his admiration for women at the most basic levels of society who often predominate village and home affairs, both sacred and secular.
The central figure in this painting and her shadowy companion depicted in blue both face the viewer. Husain hints at their features through his placement of their jewelry, differently colored highlights suggesting noses, and soft lines for lips. While all three of the artist’s figures seem to engage in silent conversation with each other, these two women also command the attention of the viewer through their inexplicable featureless gazes.
The female figure on the left is the most abstracted of the three, yet she also seems to be the focus of the painting. Portrayed in profile and appearing to wear a mask reminiscent of the women in Pablo Picasso’s seminal painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, her mystique sets her apart from her companions. Husain portrays her in profile with her left arm raised and pointing skywards. Rejecting stillness in his work and calling still life “inert”, the artist noted that “the French call it la vie morte” which translates to “the dead life” (K. Mohamed, Mumbai, 2002, p. xiv). It is unsurprising then that hand gestures, or mudras, are prevalent in many of Husain’s paintings. Here, the raised hand seems to present a variation of prana mudra denoting life energy or the soul. Along with her almost glowing arm, this woman’s form is illuminated with yellow detailing, giving her a subtle golden glow that also encircles her companions, as if protecting them from the darkness beyond.
While Husain’s subjects have a degree of featureless anonymity, their identity is defined by the relationships and spaces they share. In the present lot, Husain is not offering his viewers the image of a social meeting in an ambiguous setting. It is, instead, an intimate portrayal of female friendship, strength, protection and guidance. One of the experiences that led the artist to such portrayals was the early loss of his mother, when he was too young to remember her face. In paintings like the present lot, Husain gives his mother and the universal concept of Mother form in the figure of a strong woman guiding and caring for others.