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Lot Essay
This painting was part of a group of 12 works by 12 artists commissioned by the Lenthéric Cosmetics Group celebrating the beauty of woman. Other artists in the group included Salvador Dalí, Peter Blake and Pietro Annigoni.
After graduating from the J.J. School of Art in 1951, Padamsee left for Paris and became enamored of French modernism. His works from this period bears stylistic influences of the Fauvist painter, Georges Rouault, in his use of line. Upon his return to India, Padamsee attracted much controversy through his depiction of the nude (a theme that Padamsee has since frequently re-visited) when the 1954 painting, Lovers, based on Uma-Maheshvara renditions, was attacked on grounds of obscenity. The artist eventually won his case which allowed artistic license to take precedence within the confines of a gallery space.
During the first half of the 1960s, Akbar Padamsee experimented with various textures and techniques in his painting. In this nude from 1966, Padamsee builds up his canvases manipulating the paint in a manner that intentionally creates the look of craquelure, giving the work an antiqued look which complements the style of the nude female, reminiscent of traditional Indian temple sculpture. Living in Paris at the time, his sublime figures appear vulnerable and alone. Ella Datta states, "Padamsee draws his figures and forms from the world around him that he knows intimately, but he invests them with a profound sense of alienation. They are not heroic creatures, nor are they angst-ridden, shattered beings. They exist, and on their flesh and bones is stamped the experience of living." (Ella Datta, Akbar Padamsee: The Spirit of Order, New Delhi, Art Heritage, 1989).
After graduating from the J.J. School of Art in 1951, Padamsee left for Paris and became enamored of French modernism. His works from this period bears stylistic influences of the Fauvist painter, Georges Rouault, in his use of line. Upon his return to India, Padamsee attracted much controversy through his depiction of the nude (a theme that Padamsee has since frequently re-visited) when the 1954 painting, Lovers, based on Uma-Maheshvara renditions, was attacked on grounds of obscenity. The artist eventually won his case which allowed artistic license to take precedence within the confines of a gallery space.
During the first half of the 1960s, Akbar Padamsee experimented with various textures and techniques in his painting. In this nude from 1966, Padamsee builds up his canvases manipulating the paint in a manner that intentionally creates the look of craquelure, giving the work an antiqued look which complements the style of the nude female, reminiscent of traditional Indian temple sculpture. Living in Paris at the time, his sublime figures appear vulnerable and alone. Ella Datta states, "Padamsee draws his figures and forms from the world around him that he knows intimately, but he invests them with a profound sense of alienation. They are not heroic creatures, nor are they angst-ridden, shattered beings. They exist, and on their flesh and bones is stamped the experience of living." (Ella Datta, Akbar Padamsee: The Spirit of Order, New Delhi, Art Heritage, 1989).