Rameshwar Broota

The rare genius of Rameshwar Broota lies in his mastery of lighting, his exacting craftsmanship, and above all, his astute understanding of the human condition. These aspects of his practice can be traced back to his earliest works, of which the current lot from 1962 is an exceptional example. Painted in his early twenties while a student at the Delhi College of Art, this arresting self-portrait reveals a mature and accomplished talent. Roobina Karode, the curator of the landmark Broota retrospective at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in 2014-15, notes,

‘Broota had excelled in portraiture right from his college days. He had painted a galaxy of portraits of self, friends and family, some in thick impasto and spontaneous brushwork, reminiscent of Van Gogh’s intense self-portraits, and others in which the strokes are more blended and subdued.’

(R. Karode, ‘Visions of Interiority: Interrogating the Male Body’, Rameshwar Broota, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, 2015, p. 21)

The comparison with Van Gogh is especially emphatic in the present work. With its exquisite depth of colour, use of chiaroscuro and Broota’s earnest and knowing gaze, this painting is a gem in the artist’s inimitable œuvre.