Footnotes

Provenance
Property from a private collection, France.

The 1960s would be the 'decade when Avinash Chandra shed the landscape almost completely in favour of the emerging human form that would ease into his work and take over completely by the end of the 60s. In part, this was undeniably inspired by Indian heritage as the hippie movement rocked the streets of London with its heady mix of spirituality and sexuality. Tantra began to be tom-tommed as a cure for the deadened, lost souls of the flower generation and Avinash's work began to increasingly reflect this as he moved entirely into painting humanscapes that arose from his earlier landscapes to lay claim over him. Symbolically, the morphing forms as well as their contents seemed to be the sum of bulbous breasts, pointing to a headstrong, hedonistic generation at play. His earlier oils had been replaced by his inks, which he enjoyed for their fluidity and expressiveness.' (Kishore Singh, Humanscapes, Avinash Chandra: A Retrospective, New Delhi, 2015, p. 99)

Chandra was known for his dynamic and expressive artworks that often explored themes of human forms, landscapes, and spirituality. Born in Shimla, India, Chandra studied at the Delhi Polytechnic and later moved to London in 1956, where he gained international recognition for his bold, abstract compositions. His work often reflected a fusion of Indian artistic traditions with Western modernist influences, marked by vibrant colours, fluid lines and sensual energetic forms.

Untitled (Figures), exemplifies his signature style during the early 1960s, a period when his art evolved into more abstract yet deeply expressive depictions of the human figure. In this piece, Chandra uses gestural marks and rhythmic patterns to create an interplay between abstraction and figuration. The figures, often elongated and intertwined, evoke themes of vitality, sensuality, and spiritual energy, characteristics that define much of his work. Untitled (Figures) reflects his ability to reimagine the human body in a dynamic, almost calligraphic manner, blending elements of Indian iconography with modernist abstraction.

For a similar work sold in these rooms, see Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art, 24th May 2022, lot 106.