Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922)

Two small superficial scratches along the lower left edge and one in the green centre left. Scratches slightly warped and canvas loose. Would benefit from restretching. Colours lighter, brighter and more luminous than the catalogue illustration.
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The 1960s marked a shift in Raza's paintings towards a more pure abstract style. His encounter with Abstract Expressionism in 1962, and his change of medium from oil to acrylic, allowed him greater freedom in the application of paint, resulting in the creation of more abstract yet fluid works.

The current canvas painted in 1972, a decade later, represents the climax of this period of experimentation in gestural abstract forms. Although untitled, the work's dark tones and slightly foreboding palette bears similarities to canvases such as La Nuit and La Forêt  that are inspired by the memories of his childhood spent in the dense forests of Madhya Pradesh in Central India.