Lot 43
  • 43

Vasudeo S. Gaitonde

Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Vasudeo S. Gaitonde
  • Untitled
  • Signed and dated in Devanagari lower right and further dated and inscribed 'Rs.150 / GAITONDE 52' on reverse

    Bearing Pundole Gallery label on reverse

  • Gouache on paper
  • 30.2 x 27.5 cm. (11 ⅞ x 10 ¾ in.)
  • Painted in 1952

Provenance

Acquired by the famous Czech Indologist and historian Miloslav Krása (1920 - 2004) in India in the 1950s

Thence by descent

Krása, an employee of the Ministry of Culture, was the head of the Oriental Department and initiated several intercultural projects. Between 1954 and 1997, he externally taught modern Indian history at several faculties of oriental studies at the Charles University in Prague and elsewhere. Between 1959 and 1989, he worked as a researcher at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and participated in research activities in New Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai, London, Moscow and Brussels. In 1987, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan.

Condition

There are creases in the work particularly visible along the bottom and right edges. Minute hairline craquelure is present in areas of thicker yellow ochre pigment but only visible upon very close inspection. Two small brown vertical stains can be seen in the bottom quadrant and upper left of the work. Another paper has been glued behind the painting and there are tears to that paper but this is not visible when the painting is framed.
"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

In 1943, Vasudeo S. Gaitonde was awarded a scholarship to study at the prestigious Sir J.J. School of Art in Bombay where he studied the precepts of line, form and colour that were employed in Indian miniature paintings. The current lot, with its intimate size, invites the viewer to closely examine its finer details, in much the same way that miniature paintings do. Along with the small format, this painting bears other similarities to traditional Indian painting such as removal of perspectival space to eliminate depth, bringing the subject matter together into one picture plane. Speaking about the influence of Indian miniatures and his 1950s works, Gaitonde has said, “I excluded the figures in the miniatures and learned to retain only the proportion, the composition sense, the combination of colors and the feeling. Perhaps that was my initiation into modern painting" (M. Menezes, Vasudeo Santu Gaitonde: Sonata of Solitude, Bodhana Arts and Research Foundation, Mumbai, p. 56).
Gaitonde’s style evolved dramatically throughout his lifetime. This work from 1952 is one of the earliest in his oeuvre, when he moved away from pure figuration and started to include elements of the abstract. 
Paul Klee’s work in particular, was a significant influence on Gaitonde’s opus in the 1950s. Having been associated with Abstraction, Expressionism, Surrealism, Cubism, and Futurism, it is difficult to classify Klee’s luminous watercolours. Nevertheless, they were deeply rooted in colour theory. The way tints impacted the mood of each painting, and the emphasis on form and tone, took root in Gaitonde’s paintings during this time and continued throughout his lifetime. His works evoke a range of emotions from the bright and whimsical little watercolours in the 1950s such as this current lot, to the moody abstractions of the 60s and 70s.