Priya Singh
Specialist
Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art / Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1913-2011) Untitled (Mughal Garden)
Lot 20
*
Maqbool Fida Husain
(Indian, 1913-2011)
Untitled (Mughal Garden)
24 May 2022, 13:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £14,025 inc. premium
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Enrica Medugno
Administrator
Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1913-2011)
Untitled (Mughal Garden)
signed and dated London '007 lower right
watercolour on paper
64.1 x 48.4cm (25 1/4 x 19 1/16in).
signed and dated London '007 lower right
watercolour on paper
64.1 x 48.4cm (25 1/4 x 19 1/16in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist in December 2007 in London.
'Most of my thematic series of paintings are inspired by the works of great film makers. Kurosawa, Bunuel, Pasolini and Satyajit Ray. Never miss any of their films. Very seldom I sit through its full length. Though I do respect their concept, their philosophy but my concern falls heavily on how to transform sound and movement into a statement of colour and line.' M.F Husain in K. Bikram Singh, Maqbool Fida Husain, 2008, p. 301
Husain developed a love for films in his childhood, and would often skip classes at school to go to the cinema. When he moved to Bombay from Indore, he became a painter of cinema hoardings and his love for movies developed into a fully fledged obsession. This passion was to continue throughout his life and culminated in him making numerous films, some of which included Through the Eyes of a Painter in 1967, Gajagamini in 1999 and Meenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities. The scene depicted in the present lot is likely inspired by the 1960 Indian epic historical drama film, Mughal-e-Azam, which follows the love affair between Mughal Price Salim (later known as Emperor Jahangir), and Anarkali, a court dancer. Originally released in black and white, this was the first Hindi film to be digitally recoloured and the first film in any language to be given a theatrical re-release in 2004. The present lot, painted after the re-released version is likely Husain's homage to cinema.