Lot 9
  • 9

Zainul Abedin (1914 - 1976)

Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
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Description

  • Zainul Abedin
  • Untitled (Boats)
  • Signed and dated 'Zainul/ 1/2/55' and inscribed lower right
  • Ink and watercolor on paper
  • 18 1/2 by 26 in. (47 by 66 cm)

Provenance

Gifted by the artist to the Hon. Habib-ur Rahman, former Minister of Education, Pakistan
Thence by descent

Condition

Foxing throughout; visible in catalogue illustration. Page in overall good condition aside from a crease that runs along left edge. Colors fairly accurate in catalogue illustration.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Born in 1914 in Kishoreganj, in the erstwhile East Pakistan, Zainul Abedin played a pioneering role in the development of the modern art movement in Bangladesh. His childhood spent along the idyllic, pastoral landscapes of the Brahmaputra River, had a profound, formative influence on his work. Throughout his career he turned repeatedly to nature depicting vignettes of the timeless, expansive, unspoiled rural landscapes of his childhood.

In 1948 he founded the Government Institute of Arts and Crafts (now Institute of Fine Arts) in Dhaka and was its first Principal. Zainul's explorations of Modernism were not limited to the vocabulary of art alone but extended to a consideration of the real impact of modernity on the contemporary social, political and economic spheres and on the life of common people.

Over the course of his travels in Europe through the 1950s Zainul perfected his technique of semi-abstracted realism, seen in the present works. Untitled (Potato Eaters) depicting a group of figures huddled around a fire, clearly draws inspiration from European Art and has a soft, abstracted quality while Untitled (Boats) the artist's favorite subject, depicts an elegant scene of boats moored on a riverbank rendered in his trademark style of brisk, expressionistic strokes.