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Lot Essay
“The only aim of art is that life should thrive. My art is living and will continue to throb with life, so that the land that gave me birth may be truly immortal [...] These humble creations are redolent of those good old days, when we were making efforts to live and dream with brethren of this land. I have painted about 200 pictures on Indian motifs. This background of my art should not be lost sight of” (Artist statement, Chughtai’s Indian Paintings, New Delhi, 1951, p. 7).
Abdur Rahman Chughtai is regarded as one of the great modern masters of Pakistan. He began his training at the Mayo School of Art in Lahore in 1911, where he was taught by Samarendranath Gupta, a pupil of Abanindranath Tagore. He was deeply influenced by aspects of the Bengal School of art, which is particularly evident in his fine wash technique. However, Chughtai soon developed a distinct style that rivalled the Bengal School, and emerged as one of the leading practitioners across the subcontinent. His works illustrate a unique combination of influences including Mughal miniature painting, Islamic calligraphy and aspects of the Western Art Nouveau movement, but remain grounded in the diverse mythological traditions of the Subcontinent, both Hindu and Islamic.
In his larger watercolors like the present lot, the artist’s attention to detail and his skill as a draughtsman are underscored by his lyrical sweeping line and mesmeric use of a layers of translucent colors. Executed entirely with brush, from the fine lines to the areas of luminous wash, these paintings are largely narrative, based on subjects ranging from Buddhist stories and Hindu epics to Islamic literature and history. They illustrate characters and episodes from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Ghalib’s poetry and the Mahabharata among other historic works of literature.
The present lot is part of one of the artist’s most important series of works on the life of Krishna, and is illustrated in the monograph Chughtai’s Indian Paintings, published in Delhi in 1951. Writing about the works reproduced in this volume, the editor S. Kashmira Singh noted that they are all “stamped with the fine quality of the artist’s intention. Apart from being gems of art each study reveals a fresh and original approach to the historical character represented by it [...] The spontaneity and effusiveness of lines in his pictures seem to scatter the wealth of beauty flowing from his soul and surprise his admirers with their fine excess. Wedded to delicious tones and tints, they produce a magical effect” (S. Kashmira Singh, Chughtai’s Indian Paintings, New Delhi, 1951, pp. 15-16).
Here Chughtai paints the baby Krishna suckling at the breast of his foster mother, Yassoda (Yashoda), the wife of Nanda, chief of Gokul. Nanda's brother in law Vasudeva and his wife Devaki were Krishna’s birth-parents. Initially unknown to her, Yashoda's own child was exchanged for Krishna right after their birth to protect him from the machinations his cruel uncle Kamsa, the ruler of Mathura. Now revered as the epitome of selfless motherhood, Yashoda has been portrayed in Indian art across various traditions and periods, ranging from illustrated Bhagvata Purana manuscripts of the 2nd century AD and 12th century bronze sculptures from the Chola dynasty, to oil paintings by Raja Ravi Varma painted at the turn of the 20th century and contemporary Indian films.
Here, Chughtai depicts Yashoda draped in fine fabrics and adorned with intricate jewels, each layer of cloth and ornament exceptionally detailed and some highlighted with gold. The baby Krishna, depicted with his unique blue skin, sits on her lap and reaches for his mother with the playfulness he was known for. “This Indian Madonna reveals Chughtai at his best. With a firm hold on truth and with exquisite feeling the artist reveals his vision of the infant Krishna and his mother” (S. Kashmira Singh, Chughtai’s Indian Paintings, New Delhi, 1951, pl. 12).
Abdur Rahman Chughtai is regarded as one of the great modern masters of Pakistan. He began his training at the Mayo School of Art in Lahore in 1911, where he was taught by Samarendranath Gupta, a pupil of Abanindranath Tagore. He was deeply influenced by aspects of the Bengal School of art, which is particularly evident in his fine wash technique. However, Chughtai soon developed a distinct style that rivalled the Bengal School, and emerged as one of the leading practitioners across the subcontinent. His works illustrate a unique combination of influences including Mughal miniature painting, Islamic calligraphy and aspects of the Western Art Nouveau movement, but remain grounded in the diverse mythological traditions of the Subcontinent, both Hindu and Islamic.
In his larger watercolors like the present lot, the artist’s attention to detail and his skill as a draughtsman are underscored by his lyrical sweeping line and mesmeric use of a layers of translucent colors. Executed entirely with brush, from the fine lines to the areas of luminous wash, these paintings are largely narrative, based on subjects ranging from Buddhist stories and Hindu epics to Islamic literature and history. They illustrate characters and episodes from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Ghalib’s poetry and the Mahabharata among other historic works of literature.
The present lot is part of one of the artist’s most important series of works on the life of Krishna, and is illustrated in the monograph Chughtai’s Indian Paintings, published in Delhi in 1951. Writing about the works reproduced in this volume, the editor S. Kashmira Singh noted that they are all “stamped with the fine quality of the artist’s intention. Apart from being gems of art each study reveals a fresh and original approach to the historical character represented by it [...] The spontaneity and effusiveness of lines in his pictures seem to scatter the wealth of beauty flowing from his soul and surprise his admirers with their fine excess. Wedded to delicious tones and tints, they produce a magical effect” (S. Kashmira Singh, Chughtai’s Indian Paintings, New Delhi, 1951, pp. 15-16).
Here Chughtai paints the baby Krishna suckling at the breast of his foster mother, Yassoda (Yashoda), the wife of Nanda, chief of Gokul. Nanda's brother in law Vasudeva and his wife Devaki were Krishna’s birth-parents. Initially unknown to her, Yashoda's own child was exchanged for Krishna right after their birth to protect him from the machinations his cruel uncle Kamsa, the ruler of Mathura. Now revered as the epitome of selfless motherhood, Yashoda has been portrayed in Indian art across various traditions and periods, ranging from illustrated Bhagvata Purana manuscripts of the 2nd century AD and 12th century bronze sculptures from the Chola dynasty, to oil paintings by Raja Ravi Varma painted at the turn of the 20th century and contemporary Indian films.
Here, Chughtai depicts Yashoda draped in fine fabrics and adorned with intricate jewels, each layer of cloth and ornament exceptionally detailed and some highlighted with gold. The baby Krishna, depicted with his unique blue skin, sits on her lap and reaches for his mother with the playfulness he was known for. “This Indian Madonna reveals Chughtai at his best. With a firm hold on truth and with exquisite feeling the artist reveals his vision of the infant Krishna and his mother” (S. Kashmira Singh, Chughtai’s Indian Paintings, New Delhi, 1951, pl. 12).