Nikhil Biswas

Untitled (Crucifixion)

Auction Closed

March 16, 05:25 PM GMT

Estimate

800 - 1,200 USD

Lot Details

Description

Property from a Private Asian Collection

Nikhil Biswas

1930 - 1966

Untitled (Crucifixion)

Ink and watercolor on paper pasted on card

Signed 'Nikhil' lower right

11 ⅜ x 14 ⅞ in. (28.8 x 37.7 cm.)

Unframed

Private Collection of Ramananda Chatterjee, Calcutta

Thence by descent

Acquired from the above, circa 1990s

Ramananda Chatterjee (1865 – 1943) was the founder, editor, and owner of the Calcutta based magazine, the Modern Review, and a leader of the Hindu Mahasabha. He has been described as the father of Indian journalism. In his lifetime, he amassed an exquisite collection of art from the Bengal School.

Calcutta-born artist, Nikhil Biswas, studied Fine Arts at the city’s Government College of Arts and Crafts. He was an important member of the mid-twentieth century Calcutta art scene and is known for his intense, gestural style. Biswas worked as an illustrator for Bengali newspapers and sought to depict the socio-political concerns of the nation. Similarly, through his expressive artworks, Biswas strove to represent the pain and struggles of humanity. In this endeavor, the figure of Christ was a key universal symbol of suffering for the artist. In the current lot, the scene of the crucifixion is portrayed through a tumult of line and gesture.