Cityscape

Akbar Padamsee has alternated between painting figures and landscapes for the last five decades. He first began experimenting with the theme of the landscape in the mid 1950s. The works from this time are characterized by well-defined structures and a liberal use of geometric shapes and forms. These were followed closely by the "Horizon" landscapes where "clusters of geometric forms under a refulgent sky create scenes of breathtaking beauty." (Ella Datta, 'Akbar Padamsee', Art Heritage 8, New Delhi, 1988-1989, p. 37.) While these landscapes focused on a few buildings at close range, they gradually evolved into cityscapes, as seen in the present work from 1959. These works were presented on a much larger scale. Padamsee had shifted to a monochromatic palette, where shades of gray became the dominant color. The attention to geometric forms remains in these larger works as well. They possess a monumentality and have tremendous energy in their "juxtaposition of forms." (Ella Datta, op. cit., p. 45.)

For a similar work titled Greek Landscape, also from 1959, see Art Heritage 8, New Delhi, 1988-1989, p. 44.