1982
oil on canvas
81.3 x 101.8 cm (32 x 44 in.)
signed in Devanagari and dated 82 on verso

PROVENANCE
Acquired by the father of the present owner directly from the artist in the early 80s

EXPERTISE
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from the artist`s son, director of the Swaminathan Foundation (Copy available upon request)

Jagdish Swaminathan was a leading Indian writer, political activist and painter. In the 1960s, he abandoned his journalism career and dedicated himself to painting. He put up more than 30 shows and participated in a number of national as well as international exhibitions. He served as a member of the International Jury at the Sao Paolo Biennale and was also a trustee at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.

Swaminathan argued that in opposition to the Western approach, traditional Indian paintings were never meant to represent reality in the naturalistic, objective sense. The main feature of his work is simplicity combined with bright colors and vivid imagery. Swaminathan is heavily influenced by folk and tribal art, Pahari miniatures and Indian mythology. In the Bird, Tree and Mountain series he melds together those three aspects, translating both volume and distance onto a flat, uni-dimensional surface, in his attempt to reveal undiscovered forces of nature.