Painted in 1957, a time when Gaitonde was turning away from his early stylized figuration towards a non-representative idiom, this canvas reveals the negotiations the artist made between the figurative and the abstract during this transitional period. Titled ‘Two Faces’, the painting portrays a silent but powerful exchange between two angular, almost animalistic beings. Devoid of any recognisable features or expressions, the subjects do not seem part of a narrative that extends beyond the frame. Rather, they illuminate the artist’s relentless experimentation with texture, light, line and form in the development of each of his paintings.

This experimentation was largely inspired by the work of western artists of the Post-War period including Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Joan Miro. Having come across reproductions of their paintings during his years at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, Gaitonde strove to achieve a similar poetry and lyricism through line and colour during the 1950s. Predating his exposure to the minimalist principles of Zen Buddhism, the artist used symbols and hieroglyphic markings along with colour and texture in the development of his non-objective vocabulary during this period.

Speaking about the bearing that Klee in particular had on his work at the time, Gaitonde explains that, “…Rather than saying I was influenced by Paul Klee, it should be said that I was drawn to the wondrous forms, colour combination, beauty of line drawing in his work. Temperamentally, I found this compatible ground work for my painting. When painting in water colour or oil colours, it was as though I was Paul Klee myself. However it would be incorrect to say that I was painting like him or imitating him. Imitative work is always mediocre and ordinary. I was a painter and was painting with the ease of a painter. Consequently, I outgrew Paul Klee and that happened quite naturally too. So there was never a planned direction to my work, nor had I ever set myself any definitive ideals or role models and tried to paint accordingly…” (as quoted in Narendra Dengle, “Gaitonde – A Painter”, An Un-stretched Canvas, Bodhana Arts Foundation, Mumbai, 2007, p. 91).

Painted in 1957, a time when Gaitonde was turning away from his early stylized figuration towards a non-representative idiom, this canvas reveals the negotiations the artist made between the figurative and the abstract during this transitional period. Titled ‘Two Faces’, the painting portrays a silent but powerful exchange between two angular, almost animalistic beings. Devoid of any recognisable feat