Trussed Bull

Details

Tyeb Mehta (b. 1925)
Trussed Bull
Signed and dated 'Tyeb 67' upper left and with inscription 'ARTIST = TYEB MEHTA TITLE = TRUSSED BULL' on reverse
Oil on canvas
37 x 49¼ in. (94 x 125.5 cm.)

Special notice

This lot is offered subject to a reserve, which is the confidential minimum price below which the lot will not be sold.

Lot Essay

The Bombay slaughterhouse, and in particular the image of a trussed bull, has provided recurring inspiration for Mehta. The artist has stated that this everyday scene seems to sum up for him a condition of constriction and indignity. 'My images are very carefully chosen... For me the trussed bull is a compulsive image.' (As told to Yashodhara Dalmia, 'Tyeb Mehta: Beyond Narrative Painting', Art Heritage 9, New Delhi, 1989-90, p. 76.) The trussed bull symbolizes the violence one experiences in life - 'the bull is a powerful animal and when its legs are tied and it's thrown down, it is an assault on life itself.' (As told to Yashodhara Dalmia, op. cit., p. 84.)

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