Ram Kumar (b. 1924)

During the late 1950's Ram Kumar moved away from the figurative works that are characteristic of his early phase of oil painting, and by the mid 60's his landscapes had become completely devoid of figures. Khemkaran Waterfront from 1965/66 - lot 173 -with its focus on architectural details is an exceptional example of this early phase of landscape, but by the late 60's even these identifiable elements of humanity are removed from his canvas. The current untitled work from the late 1960's is a large scale example of this new abstracted form. Bold diagonals and layered planes of muted colors are characteristic of this period, features that remain integral to the visual vocabulary that he still uses in his current work.

Ranjit Hoskote states of this period of his work 'stripped of sentiment and freed from the burden of description, the landscape evolved into a grand metaphor, a crucible of meteorological energies, a dynamic equilibrium poised among tectonic forces of imperious majesty.'  (Vadehra, 1996, p. 38.)