Numbers

Rameshwar Broota's existential man surfaces in the early 1980s with a shift in color palette and a simplification of form. His previous works, commenting on the greed and corruption persisting around him, depict cartoon-like portraits of corpulent gorillas lounging in sparsely furnished domestic settings. Numbers from 1979 is a pivotal work in his oeuvre, as it marks his transition from the primate series to the primeval and tragic man series of the following two decades. Attempting to recycle his unsuccessful canvases, this work is the first example of a new technique in Broota's art which involved scraping away layers of monochromatic paint with the sharp edge of a blade. Instead of adding pigment to a canvas, his process became subtractive subsequently eliminating his dependency on preparatory sketches.

This critical work depicts three identical figures differentiated solely by the various numbers emblazoned on their torsos. In the artist's view, their chiseled bodies pose as a metaphysical armor shielding them from peril in a universal struggle for survival. Their physical stature, uniformity and numbered chests suggest a team of athletes and simultaneously build a group identity while eliminating their individual one.