Important Notice

The present lot represents the latest step in Rameshwar Broota's ongoing involvement with the contemporary human situation. Developing on the series of existential canvases that the artist began painting in the 1980s, these large canvases embody the zenith of his process of paring his work of all that he deemed superfluous, including narrative and colour. In place of these elements, the artist concentrates on conveying the exact textural... The present lot represents the latest step in Rameshwar Broota's ongoing involvement with the contemporary human situation. Developing on the series of existential canvases that the artist began painting in the 1980s, these large canvases embody the zenith of his process of paring his work of all that he deemed superfluous, including narrative and colour. In place of these elements, the artist concentrates on conveying the exact textural attributes of specific anatomical details, objects and architectural elements, giving his paintings an almost sculptural presence.

Speaking about this painting, Roobina Karode notes, "The realization that every part of the human body is expressive and can speak has made Broota move from the monumental to the minimal, from panorama to fragment. As in his imaginative landscapes in the 'metamorphosis' series, each small part of the body demands the same kind of attention and treatment, wherein the skeins and veins under the skin come alive. For instance, there is a queasy uneasiness about viewing the larger than life image of the index finger, detached from the rest of the hand, bent and twisted to its limits. Its shape and bony armature,, its many folds and crevices are accentuated to look like cuts on the exposed flesh. A thin wooden splinter piercing the under skin of the nail, symbolises pain and the vulnerable moment" (Counterparts: Recent Paintings by Rameshwar Broota, Vadehra Art Gallery exhibition catalogue, 2009, p. 6).

Rather than a dark ground, these works are set against a pristine, white surface. Speaking about this change, the artist explains, "Earlier it was against black or against solid ground, but now the background is all empty. I want to just concentrate on this simplified form so that you just see this and nothing else. It should merge with the wall, as if there is this wall and only this thing. So it has become almost no space, a vacuum. Therefore, I'm thinking of framing it in such a way that there's an illusion, as if this canvas is just a wall and this is the only form. And your form has to be very precise, your tone, shading, everything has to be precise. I'm enjoying it quite a lot now" (as quoted in Yashodhara Dalmia, Journeys, Four Generations of Indian Artists in their Own Words, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2011, p. 90).

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