- 48
Avinash Chandra
Description
- Avinash Chandra
- Tantra Hiils
- Signed and dated 'Avinash 89' lower right
- Watercolour on paper
- 96.5 by 243.8 cm. (38 by 96 in.)
- Painted in 1989
Provenance
Acquired directly from the above by the current owner
Condition
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Art critic Ronald Alley explains: “In Chandra’s work, sexual images play a vital role, but it is important to realize that they are almost always introduced as part of a much larger experience in a wider context… their appeal lies in their constant blending with other poetic images: spires, trees, flowers, hills, moons and stars.” Chandra continued to work within this theme until the mid-1980s, when his paintings gradually returned to the landscapes and natural environments of his youth.
The present work from 1989, executed a few years before the artist passed away in 1991, is a panoramic and high example of his later landscapes. Returning to his favourite medium, Chandra once again created a masterful landscape of his beloved theme of the countryside of Simla, this time informed with his interests with Indian tantric philosophies. The work retains the dense sexual energy that developed during his work in the 1970s, but comes full circle back to the vibrancy of his very first landscapes.