Important Notice

"My horses, like lightning, cut across many horizons. From the battlefield of Karbala to Bankura terracotta, from the Chinese Tse Pei Hung horse to St. Marco's horse, from ornate armoured Duldul to [the] challenging white of Ashwamed... the cavalcade of my horses is multidimensional." - M F HUSAIN

One of the most powerful icons in Husain's oeuvre, the horse is a universal symbol for vigour and vitality. Its innate strength and... "My horses, like lightning, cut across many horizons. From the battlefield of Karbala to Bankura terracotta, from the Chinese Tse Pei Hung horse to St. Marco's horse, from ornate armoured Duldul to [the] challenging white of Ashwamed... the cavalcade of my horses is multidimensional." - M F HUSAIN

One of the most powerful icons in Husain's oeuvre, the horse is a universal symbol for vigour and vitality. Its innate strength and grace appears to have fascinated Husain throughout his career and was a frequent motif in his works, as seen in lots 25, 44, 51 and 60. The horse in Husain's work alludes to various mythical and historical events that have shaped his artistic idiom. It often appears as both a narrative and metaphorical element in his works. His association with horses began when he was a young boy witnessing "the making of the tazias in Indore where twenty foot high effigies of horses were carried in procession during the final day of Muharram... These gigantic horses signified all the valour of the warrior for the young [Husain]." (Yashodhara Dalmia, "M.F. Husain: Reinventing India," Early Masterpieces: 1950s-70s, London: Asia House, 2006) The valiant horses of the great battle of Karbala fought by the Prophet's grandson Imam Husain ibn Ali served as an inspiration for the artist. The Hindu myth of the tragically heroic horse of the Aswamedha heightened the young artist's imagination.

Husain's horses continued to evolve and incorporate a mix of influences. His study of Chinese horses from the Sung dynasty, and the work of Franz Marc and Mario Marini influenced his economy of line and his depiction of complex emotions. Husain's horses have also been described as, "... subterranean creatures. Their nature is not intellectualised: it is rendered as sensation or as abstract movement, with a capacity to stir up vague premonitions and passions, in a mixture of ritualistic fear and exultant anguish." (Richard Bartholomew and Shiv S Kapur, Husain, New York: Harry N Abrams, Inc., 1972, p. 43)

Using strong lines and thick brushwork, Husain imbued his equine figures with a sense of mythic power and virility, as vehicles for change in the world. In doing so, he created an equestrian form symbolic of passion, loyalty, and freedom that was unique to his artistic vocabulary.

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