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K C S PANIKER
(1911 ‒ 1977)
Untitled
Signed and dated 'Paniker 58' (lower left)
1958
Ink on paper
23.5 x 29.5 in (59.7 x 75 cm)
$ 6,000 ‒ 8,000
Rs 3,84,000 ‒ 5,12,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired, circa 1950
Thence by descent
“Canals used to make me highly emotional. And my eyes used to,
at such times, fill with tears.”
K C S PANIKER
Born in Coimbatore in 1911, K C S Paniker founded
the Cholamandal Artists’ Village in Chennai, and was
responsible for placing South India on the map of Indian
modernism. Paniker, whose career as an artist began
late, when he was thirty, studied at the Madras School
of Arts and Crafts under renowned sculptor D P Roy
Choudhury. Travels in India and later Europe led him to
a deep understanding of Indian and Western art, which
informed his own distinct vision, which later in his career
turned towards the metaphysical.
1
K C S PANIKER
(1911 ‒ 1977)
Untitled
Signed and dated 'KCS Paniker 50' (lower left)
1950
Watercolour on paper
17 x 20 in (43 x 50.8 cm)
$ 5,000 ‒ 7,000
Rs 3,20,000 ‒ 4,48,000
PROVENANCE:
Acquired, circa 1950
Thence by descent
Lots 1 and 2 are from 1950‒51, an early phase of K C
S Paniker’s career. Four years during childhood in his
native Kerala provided the subject matter for many of
his paintings, which he painted from his early memories.
The dappled light and robust colours of the tropical
landscape are captured in the deft strokes of his
watercolours. People inhabit the landscape with as much
vibrancy as the land which roots them.
Paniker’s work has been acquired by leading museums
in India, including the National Gallery of Modern Art
in New Delhi and the National Art Gallery in Chennai.
His paintings are part of private collections in India and
around the world.
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