Jagdish Swaminathan 1929-1994 Udghosh from Bird, Mountain and Tree Series 1974

Exhibited at the Lalit Kala International Indian Triennale, the Third Indian Triennale 1974

In the 1960s Swaminathan left journalism and became a professional painter.  In reference to his early works, Isana Murthy states "Swami's greater contribution was in giving Indian sources a contemporary validity and visual identity.  His use of flat colours and spaces in his early work is reminiscent of the Indian miniature and I cannot recall anyone before Swami using the vivid Indian yellow in the manner he did." 

The artist states "In the 60s I made a 180 degree switch in my painting.  I tried to probe the relation of colour to space and after a study of pahari miniatures did a series called the Colour of Geometry of Space.  After the colour geometry show I entered the now famous phase of the bird, the mountain, the tree, the reflection of the shadow and it lasted for quite a while... " The current work is an example from this famous phase and demonstrates Swaminathan's ability to select and dematerialise images from nature to express a spiritual sentiment, with the bird signifying infinite space and the mountains a symbol of ascent and eternity.