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Lot 26

 

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“I have tried to bring out the active life-spirit hidden within rustic village folk; the poor and ordinary people of my surroundings.” - K K HEBBAR

Modernist K K Hebbar’s practice was deeply rooted in the folk-art traditions of his home state of Karnataka. People, especially the working classes, were central to Hebbar’s practice, and appear either as the protagonists of the works or populating the larger landscape, gracefully... “I have tried to bring out the active life-spirit hidden within rustic village folk; the poor and ordinary people of my surroundings.” - K K HEBBAR

Modernist K K Hebbar’s practice was deeply rooted in the folk-art traditions of his home state of Karnataka. People, especially the working classes, were central to Hebbar’s practice, and appear either as the protagonists of the works or populating the larger landscape, gracefully engrossed in lighter revelries, or engaged with their daily labour, as seen in the present lot. “The human figure, and human joy and sorrow, occupied an important place in my compositions. Because of my love for humanity in general and the working-class in particular, I have often chosen subjects depicting the life of the down-trodden and the under-privileged...” (Artist quoted in K K Hebbar, Voyage in Images, Bombay: Jehangir Art Gallery, 1991, unpaginated)

Rather than adhering to a particular artistic school, Hebbar developed his own visual language, drawing from elements of classical and folk traditions, Jain miniatures and Ajanta murals, and the rhythmic qualities of music and dance. He employed diverse forms, techniques, and mediums over the course of his career. His agility with the line was adeptly matched by the grace of the figures those lines animated. “Explorative and experimental in his approach, Hebbar’s art displayed a number of styles, from the figurative to the near abstract, and the dichotomy between the two did not generate any discord in his working for he believed that each painting developed in accordance to its own logic.” (Amrita Gupta Singh, Manifestations III: 100 Artists from the Delhi Art Gallery Collection, New Delhi: DAG, 2005)

His work showed deep sympathy for those suffering from displacement, conflict, or poverty. His paintings show lighter scenes of happiness and play coexisting with the darker themes of war and unrest. Hebbar’s awe of the figurative form is balanced by his distinct awareness of destruction and pity. This is noticeable in the present lot where the harsh lines are elevated by a sombre palette of earthy browns and greys. The work seemingly shows the artist having used a layer of titanium white below the oils, which he then scraped away to create a textured surface.

The present lot was painted during an important year for Hebbar – one that took his artistic repute to new heights. It was in 1961 that Hebbar received the Padma Shri award from the President of India, which was followed by his selection to be a part of the ten-member contingent representing India at the VI Bienal de Arte de São Paulo. The other reputed modernists Jyotish Bhattacharjee, Biren De, Shiavax Chavda, K S Bhattacharjee, K S Kulkarni, Har Krishan Lall, K G Subramanyan, K C S Paniker, Dhanraj Bhagat, and Sankho Chaudhuri.

These artists were selected to represent the “vital character of contemporary Indian art” since their works “reflect[ed] a crossroads of current trends in our art” and were “examples of essay in purely abstract form, as well as of virile expressionism.” (VI Bienal de Arte de São Paulo, São Paulo: Museum of Modern Art, 1961, p. 240) Of the 40 paintings displayed at the biennale, five of them belonged to Hebbar. The present lot was one of them.

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