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Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1915-2011) Hanuman Series (Four Paintings) ((4)) image 1
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Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1915-2011) Hanuman Series (Four Paintings) ((4)) image 4
Lot 8*

Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1915-2011)
Hanuman Series (Four Paintings)

25 October 2021, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£40,000 - £60,000

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Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1915-2011)

Hanuman Series (Four Paintings)
Three signed lower right, one signed lower left
water colour on paper
56 x 75.5cm (22 1/16 x 29 3/4in).
(4)

Footnotes

Provenance
Private US Collection: acquired by the owner from a Chicago-based collector.

Husain's works depicting the epics seems to have started in earnest in 1968, when he met Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, the socialist ideologue, at Badrivishal Pitti's house in Hyderabad. ''In this context, Ila Pal recalls a conversation during which Husain said, 'Talking about the relevance of modern Indian paintings to villagers, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia remarked, stop painting for Tatas and Birlas. Start painting for the common man. Paint Ramayana...that is the best way to penetrate the popular psyche and reach the masses.' This conversation clearly influenced Husain, as he subsequently completed twenty paintings inspired by the Ramayana and would continue to depict the epic over several years, using a variety of media. (K. Bikram Singh, Maqbool Fida Husain, New Delhi, 2008, p. 136)

His favourite character in the Ramayana is Hanuman, who is depicted in all four paintings in the present lot. Husain was drawn to Hanuman, given Hanuman's enduring popularity and strong presence in the Ramlila and folk arts. Hanuman is also known as the Pawanputra, Son of the God of Wind and he is seen flying in two of the four paintings in this lot, carrying the island of Lanka in one and raining down destruction in the other. Husain perhaps best illustrates his fascination with the Ramayana and the epics when he explains why he paints them...'you say tradition is the past but in India it is living...I like to go to the Epics because there I find the roots...I look to the roots to discover what form the symbols have...I have to relate all these symbols and images to the present situation...to make these symbols come alive.' (Rashda Siddiqui, In conversation with Husain Paintings, Books Today, 2011, p. 182).

Additional information

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