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M F HUSAIN
(1913 ‒ 2011)
Untitled
Signed 'Husain '94 (lower left)
1994
Acrylic and marker on vellum
83.75 x 42 in (213 x 106.5 cm)
$ 85,000 ‒ 95,000
Rs 54,40,000 ‒ 60,80,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, USA
T
his large work on vellum
incorporates many elements
that Husain repeated in different
incarnations throughout his career. The
scene captures the bustle and essentials of
a rural life that may also be seen in large
cities.The composition includes an earthen
water pot, cattle, a
charpoy
and bolster, a
mother and child, and a
hookah
‒
smoking
man. Within this traditional setting that
includes an image of Ganpati, there are
signs of modernity, as indicated by the
young girl dressed in a school uniform.
The clear, bright colours and confident,
black ink outlines are complemented by
the sheen of vellum. Husain’s mastery of
composition, subject, and technique is
perhaps overshadowed here, only by the
vibrancy and life that bursts through the
painting.
M F Husain
© Jyoti Bhatt