Maqbool Fida Husain

Christie's London, 16 October 1995, lot 32

A horizontal accretion is visible in the green pigment of the lower left quadrant. Spots of paint loss visible upon close scrutiny. This painting is in good overall condition, as viewed.
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A white horse has long been regarded to bring good fortune, and in many cultures across the world considered sacred. The horse was central to the ancient Vedic ritual of Ashvamedha, which signified a sovereign’s power. Perhaps these tenets of Indian mythology which Husain was deeply influenced by and extremely conversant with since childhood resulted in the horse becoming his most classic subject, one that he revisits continuously throughout his artistic career with innumerable renditions of the horse.

Husain’s familiarity with horses was a result of the numerous visits to the local horse stables as a young boy, which is probably when he was taken in by the grace and power of the horse. On the subject of horses depicted in his paintings, Husain has stated, “Art has to evolve from your very being, like my horses… I see them as ageless and immortal. They draw chariots in the great epics, they stand proudly in the poorest stables, they are embodiments of strength like the dragons of China.” (M. F. Husain with Khalid Mohammed, Where Art Thou, Mumbai, 2002, p. xxii). 

The present lot, a classic Husain horse in mid-stride is set against a mauve background, brilliantly executed, displaying the artist’s mastery over depiction of movement, leaping over a white orb. The hamsasyo hasta, a traditional Indian mudra or hand gesture that denotes auspiciousness is painted above the horse, clutching a bunch of red roses, symbolic of love and affection. The hand in Husain's work has often been discussed. 'The human hand for instance, an expressive symbol in Indian dance, recurs frequently in Husain's paintings. It is usually given an independent life, almost separate from the body to which it belongs. It occurs with mystical markings on the palm, is lightly made, sometimes deeply shadowed, enclosed as though upon a secret.' (S. Kapur, Husain, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, 1961, p. vii).