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Lot 52

 

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In the mid-1980s, V S Gaitonde's artistic practice changed drastically because of an accident that caused him to take a nearly eight year hiatus from painting on canvas. Lot 52 was created during this difficult period in which the artist continued to plan and investigate future paintings, and drew small format works. Exhibited in Mumbai and Delhi in 1991, these calligraphic drawings - which drew from his earlier engagement with these forms -... In the mid-1980s, V S Gaitonde's artistic practice changed drastically because of an accident that caused him to take a nearly eight year hiatus from painting on canvas. Lot 52 was created during this difficult period in which the artist continued to plan and investigate future paintings, and drew small format works. Exhibited in Mumbai and Delhi in 1991, these calligraphic drawings - which drew from his earlier engagement with these forms - were "linear signatures which intrigue, hypnotise and evoke a mood of prayer," according to Dnyaneshwar Nadkarni. In the same review, Nadkarni referred to an earlier show of calligraphic drawings, saying that they "shone with a unique power, the architectonics unequalled by any other painter of our time," and adding that "much of this brilliance has brushed off on the precious drawings" that he created in the mid-1980s. (Nadkarni quoted in Menezes, p. 188)

The works from this period thus represent an important journey within the artist's oeuvre and life - years which gave him "a life of rich experiences" - bridging his earlier work to that which would come later. "The draftsman of old returns in these works, and encounters the artist who has complete control over cadence, tonality and scale. Here form meets nonform, presence meets absence, and movement meets stillness. These works unveil Gaitonde's understanding of the silences of Zen as well as the dynamics of Tantra." (Poddar, p. 31)

Gaitonde was awarded the Kalidas Samman by the state of Madhya Pradesh for the years 1988-1989. In the following decade, he continued painting about five to six canvasses a year, despite frequent bouts of poor health.

The artist passed away in 2001 in Gurgaon. Even in 1998, when he painted his last works, Gaitonde maintained that his creative process was constant, and his learning could never be complete. "I could never stop painting, but even if I do stop, I will continue to talk about it. Painting and Gaitonde are synonymous." (Artist quoted in Poddar, p. 31)

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