Important Notice

Nature has always played a crucial role in Ram Kumar's artistic and spiritual journey. What began as an exploration of the sacred and profane in Benaras in 1960, continued to become a lifelong introspective effort to find a sense of harmony within himself. Kumar's affinity for nature began in childhood, which he spent surrounded by the glorious Himalayan mountains in Simla. Nature, according to Nirmal Verma, "came both as a release from his past... Nature has always played a crucial role in Ram Kumar's artistic and spiritual journey. What began as an exploration of the sacred and profane in Benaras in 1960, continued to become a lifelong introspective effort to find a sense of harmony within himself. Kumar's affinity for nature began in childhood, which he spent surrounded by the glorious Himalayan mountains in Simla. Nature, according to Nirmal Verma, "came both as a release from his past and a return to it... a nostalgic longing for a 'past' gone for ever. They also symbolised peace and inner security, as if by returning to them, one can salvage a spark of happiness from the ruins of one's adulthood... by 'abstracting' the image of mountains, he released them from the fixed memory of his childhood and thus eternalised them as something which is part of nature." ("From Solitude to Salvation," Gagan Gill ed., Ram Kumar: A Journey Within, New Delhi: Vadehra Art Gallery, 1996, p. 26)

Kumar's works from the previous decade, following his trip to Benaras, were a unique mixture of Cubism and abstraction. In the beginning, he preferred dark and muted colours, evoking an atmosphere of desolation and sullenness. This changed after a trip to Kashmir in the mid1960s, giving way to a more cheerful palette and semirepresentational forms. Kumar's many travels over the decade changed his artistic vision. Soon, even architectonic elements began disappearing, replaced by a desire for pure abstraction, as seen in the present lot. "...he would look to nature for inspiration and transform his contemplation of the landscape into an irregular patchwork quilt of colour. There was no longer any attempt to portray a realistic representation of what he observed. Instead, the outer landscape would transform itself into the inner mindscape, which in turn would manifest itself on canvas and paper. The moods and sensations that were evoked in him by his meditation on the outer world would play out as colours and textures." (Meera Menezes, Ram Kumar: Traversing the Landscapes of the Mind, Mumbai: Saffronart, 2016, pp. 1213)

The present lot, painted in 1974, exemplifies the planar abstraction that was unique to the artist's style. The fragmented planes are indicative of natural forms such as barren fields or rugged mountains with patches of river or snow, while colours and brushstrokes are employed to convey the emotional experience of the topography. "The browns, greys and blues, the occasional green or orange, are areas of positive sensation. They are also premises of suggestion - indicative of landforms, stretches of water and sky, passage of clouds, valley, ranges of hills, qualities of light, bonded together in a palpable mood." (Richard Bartholomew quoted in Gill, p. 154)

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site