Untitled (Female Nude)

Incorporating methods developed during her studies at Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris as well as employing techniques influenced by Byzantine art, Anjolie Ela Menon integrates a frontal perspective, a tendency towards figural elongation and an averted head. With somber browns, reds and beiges and blacked-out eyes, she has the ability to make her paintings emit color and life. I wanted to achieve that pristine surface where there was never any muddiness or opacity, even the whites glowed with an inner light (Anjolie Ela Menon in dialogue with Isana Murti, 9 August 2005). Working on masonite, Menon enhances the finely textured surface of her paintings by burnishing the finished work with a soft dry brush, creating a glow found also in the wood panel altarpieces of Medieval Europe. The flower in the painting symbolizes femininity and the presence of the lotus leaf supports her use of traditional Hindu symbols.

"The style belongs with history: with the church frescoes in 14th century Macedonia, the mosaics of 14th century Constantinople, the religious portraiture of 13th century Bulgaria, the icons of Russia; the jewel-like frescoes and mosaics in the cathedrals of Ravenna and Venice Anjolie works her paintings to a fine polished finish by using transparent glazes and a technique of finger painting and repeated scrubbing. This gives them a luminous depth and an elegant patina of age." (Chitrakar, What is Anjolie Menon doing in the 13th Century? , Calcutta, 1971; article illustrated above with the present lot featured)