Lot 4
  • 4

George Keyt

Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
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Description

  • George Keyt
  • Untitled (Man, Woman and Child)
  • Signed and dated 'G Keyt / 46' lower right
  • Oil on canvas
  • 114.5 x 85.2 cm. (45 ¼ x 33 ½ in.)
  • Painted in 1946

Provenance

Property from a private English collector

Sotheby's New York, 19 March 2008, lot 1

Condition

Very minor accretions and abrasions are visible across the surface of the painting, only visible upon close inspection. Under ultraviolet light, some small spots of consolidation are visible. In good overall condition for its age.
"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

George Keyt is arguably Sri Lanka's best known modernist painter who with fellow artists from the '43 Group, staged one of the first exhibitions of Modernism in South Asia and inspired the Bombay Progressives a few years later. In 1946, Keyt came to India, a place that was to become his beloved spiritual home. There, he was largely inspired by his surroundings and the traditions that he observed. As is the case in this work, his paintings were often sensuous depictions of rural women in rustic settings, demonstrating his strong affinity with country life. He also was inspired by Hindu and Buddhist epics which he modernised in his unique Cubist style. 'The experience of once again living in India, the India to which in spirit he has always belonged, induced him to re-explore his favourite subject... he employed all his resources, springing line, rhythmical form and glowing colour, to imbue his subjects with innocent sensuality and poetic charm.' (W.G. Archer, India and Modern Indian Art, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London, 1959, p. 135)

While he was inspired by the works of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, his painting was not merely an adoption of western art movements. “His distinction has been to assimilate such Western influences, while remaining unmistakably Eastern- a process all the more natural in that Western Art had first assimilated certain Eastern influences”, wrote Sir Herbert Read. (George Keyt: A Centennial Anthology, The George Keyt Foundation, Colombo, 2001, p. x). This is exemplified in his unique style, borrowing from both cubism and classical Hindu sculpture. Meanwhile, his skillful use of colour creates a dramatic image, which, as the renowned Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda once noted, was what made him “the living nucleus of a great painter” (W.G. Archer, ibid, p. 124.).