K. Laxma Goud

The female figure and goat are two mainstays of K. Laxma Goud’s art. Goud's family raised both goats and buffaloes, animals which served as the artist’s earliest inspirations and subjects. His early works were primarily executed in a monochromatic palette, comprising etchings, pen and ink drawings, and paintings in watercolour and gouache. The early 1980s saw a refinement of Goud's early style and a more recurrent use of colour. The current lot from 1982 - a tender scene rendered in delicate watercolour - is an exquisite example of this stylistic shift.

'[Between 1982 and 1986] the man and woman, always his central characters, are now examined with a more intense eye. There is a renewed feeling for them, a deeper understanding leading to a greater intimacy between the artist and his people. Their eyes, weatherbeaten faces, gesture and expression are more revealing. The mood is contemplative and there is a desire to focus attention on individuals and their experiences. Colour... is now a forceful element used with purpose and conviction.' 

'Laxma Goud: Rural influences in contemporary art', The India magazine of her people and culture, Vol 6, October 1986 (unpaginated)