- 122
Gulam Rasool Santosh
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 USD
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Description
- Gulam Rasool Santosh
- Shakti
- Signed in Devanagari and further signed, dated, titled and inscribed '90 / 'SANTOSH' / (SHAKTI)' on reverse
- Oil on canvas
- 30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 61.3 cm.)
- Painted in 1990
Provenance
Saffronart, 4 December 2002, lot 65
Literature
A. Jhaveri, A Guide to 101 Modern & Contemporary Indian Artists, India Book House Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, 2005, illustration p. 155
Condition
Minor undulation to canvas in upper right corner is visible only upon close inspection. Faint discoloration in the lower quadrant left of the three triangles. A very minor nick in left red ball at center. Two pin dots of pigment loss in red pigment in upper right quadrant and a small circular discoloration near top left corner of purple pigment appear inherent. This work is in very good condition, as viewed.
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.
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
In 1964, Gulam Rasool Santosh had a mystical experience that was to have a profound effect on his work. ‘I went to Amarnath in the sixties, purely as an artist-tourist. But the truth is, that unknown to me, this yatra (journey/pilgrimage) changed my life, the way I think. Upon my return from the yatra, a ‘new’ poetry was born.’ (K. Singh, Awakening: A Retrospective of G.R. Santosh, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2011, p. 39) After this, Santosh became fascinated by religious traditions within Kashmiri Shaivism, a branch of Indian philosophy. This came to influence his art as the awareness and consciousness that stemmed from frequent meditation and practice of Tantra took form in his paintings as transcendent imagery.
Santosh launched himself at the vanguard of the neo-Tantric movement, associated with painters such as K.C.S. Paniker and Biren De. This work is an example of the artist’s signature neo-Tantrism, which centred on symbols found in Buddhist and Hindu tradition. Here, as is typical in his work, he has implemented ancient tantric iconographies and subsequently reinterpreted them by reducing them to abstractions, culminating in the construction of a fresh aesthetic language.
This vertically symmetrical picture plane consists of an anthropomorphic figure leaning out with a meditative stare. Santosh has decorated the body with yantras, or sacred geometrical symbols, that signify the regenerative aspects of consciousness. The head is composed of a circular naad bindu, representing the cosmos in its equivocal state, sharing an axis with geometric tantric shapes at the abdomen. The curved contours delineate a voluptuous feminine aspect, softening the angular lines. Shakti in Hinduism represents the female principle of divine energy and power that first creates and then preserves the universe.
Santosh launched himself at the vanguard of the neo-Tantric movement, associated with painters such as K.C.S. Paniker and Biren De. This work is an example of the artist’s signature neo-Tantrism, which centred on symbols found in Buddhist and Hindu tradition. Here, as is typical in his work, he has implemented ancient tantric iconographies and subsequently reinterpreted them by reducing them to abstractions, culminating in the construction of a fresh aesthetic language.
This vertically symmetrical picture plane consists of an anthropomorphic figure leaning out with a meditative stare. Santosh has decorated the body with yantras, or sacred geometrical symbols, that signify the regenerative aspects of consciousness. The head is composed of a circular naad bindu, representing the cosmos in its equivocal state, sharing an axis with geometric tantric shapes at the abdomen. The curved contours delineate a voluptuous feminine aspect, softening the angular lines. Shakti in Hinduism represents the female principle of divine energy and power that first creates and then preserves the universe.