MAQBOOL FIDA HUSAIN | Untitled (Nayika)

Acquired from Kunika Chemould Gallery, Janpath, Delhi in 1965

There is minor buckling in the corners and cracking to surface. This work is in very good condition, as viewed.
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This painting is a striking example of Maqbool Fida Husain’s unique amalgam of post-Independence and post-Impressionist painting: powerfully evocative of classical Indian traditions and distinctly modern at the same time. Husain’s modernism contends even in its earlier period with an understanding of Indian aesthetics at a fundamental level. The identities of his early nudes tend to be inspired by classical Indian sculpture but have also been compared to the figures of Matisse. In the present work, the triple axial posture of the figure draws upon the tribhanga or thrice-bent postures of ancient temple art. The female form is majestically captured, defiantly elegant yet poised. Over the years, such tensile figures have provided the essential vocabulary of Husain’s women.  In 1952, Husain visited China where he met with the painter Qi Baishi. The Chinese artist was known for his monochromatic paintings of animals with a minimalistic use of line to achieve form and movement. This condensing of form is what inspired Husain. The artist admitted that he felt that the challenge in art remained in creating forms in the simplest manner possible and undoubtedly the style of the current work appears to be very strongly influenced by ink scroll paintings in both the calligraphic brushwork and in the vertical format. Unusual in its scale, palette and simplicity, Husain's powerful lines and strong brushwork suggest a vivid sense of energy and movement. 

Husain, arguably India's finest draughtsman, was known to finish many a work in one sitting. Like ink scroll paintings, the lines were drawn directly with a paintbrush making no room for error as once applied, the stark black paint could not then be easily removed. This painting serves as a fine example of his mastery and the extreme confidence with which he applied his brushstrokes. Brilliantly rendered in the artist’s immediately recognizable calligraphic style, this painting is an exemplary work within Husain’s corpus.