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Lot 51

 

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Somnath Hore’s early experience of war and famine in Bengal in the 20th century went on to shape his artistic consciousness. As a young artist documenting the peasantry on behalf of the Communist Party, he cut his teeth on figurative works of the oppressed agitating to stop injustice done against them. “In Hore’s fragile bodies, the human form is transgressed and transformed. Yet, the humanity Hore constructs takes the form of alienated,... Somnath Hore’s early experience of war and famine in Bengal in the 20th century went on to shape his artistic consciousness. As a young artist documenting the peasantry on behalf of the Communist Party, he cut his teeth on figurative works of the oppressed agitating to stop injustice done against them. “In Hore’s fragile bodies, the human form is transgressed and transformed. Yet, the humanity Hore constructs takes the form of alienated, vulnerable individuals.” (Sona Datta, “The Paradox of Modernism: Art in Bengal After Independence”, Rob Dean and Giles Tillotson eds., Modern Indian Painting: Jane & Kito de Boer Collection, Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2019, p. 169)

These 80s watercolours were made during a notable period of the artist’s life, when he was emerging from making his famous abstract Wounds series, and was beginning again to experiment with bronze. This lot is a succinct distillation of his primary concerns. “The masses continue to act as his protagonists. In one work, a man throws his arms up in despair while in another a skeletal figure leans against a wall. His untitled watercolours represent the collective agony of a people stripped of their humanity.” (Datta, Dean and Tillotson eds., p. 161, 169)

FROM THE COLLECTION OF JANE AND KITO DE BOER

Jane and Kito de Boer’s collection is a rare survey of Indian painting from the late 19th century to the present day, covering major movements including photography, the Bengal School, the Progressive Artists from Bombay, and many different developments in Delhi and its environs since Independence.

This collection, one of the largest in private hands, is remarkable for its broad historical scope and represents critical periods in Indian art history. Besides notable names including F N Souza, M F Husain, and Somnath Hore, the collection also highlights the best works of lesser-known artists such as Prakash Karmakar, Nikhil Biswas, and J Sultan Ali who played a significant role in the development of Indian art. Alongside their strong aesthetics, the significance of many of the works in the collection is deepened by the de Boers’ personal association or encounters with several of the artists like Rameshwar Broota and Laxma Goud.

In their words, “One of the most important aspects of the collection is that it is a personal journey: it is our journey.... We are individuals following our passion and our collection is the sum of what we see and whom we meet. We have the art collection we have, with all its twists and turns.”

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