Osian's Auction Catalogue India The Passionate Detachment | February 2001

THE PASSIONATE DETACHMENT 120 86 KSHITINDRANATH MAJUMDAR (1891 - 1975) Radha returns from the Jamuna Watercolour & pencil heightened with body colour on paper, 1918 28 x 14.5 cm. (11.0 x 5.7”) Rs. 700,000 - 800,000 $ 14,895- 17,020 “ Kshitindranath’s compositions are generally vertical, asymmetric and figurative... the front of the painting functions as a stage on which the subject matter is displayed, the back being closed off usually with architecture, occasionally by landscape or trees. It is rather typical that there is no recession; the trees and flowers function as an accompaniment to the subject as in Indian miniatures. Their treatment is idealised, rugged trunks contrasting with twining creepers and softly drooping leaves. Kshitindranath evolved a special type of human figure, gentle and poetic. His figures are tall and attentuated with small oval heads, delicately modelled features and flower-like hands. The hair in his heroines is piled or floating in charming disarray. He adheres to the contemporary Indian dress, sari and dhoti even in religious figures…The women are clothed in a sheath- like arabesque or in cascading drapery… Kshitindranath’s lines in his mature period are long and flowing, caressingly enclosing forms. At the same time their terminations and borders make a delicate subsidiary rhythm in freely dancing lines as in scarf ends, floating hair, jewellery and so on. The colour is comparatively soft and harmonious…He avoids excessive detail and decoration and this gives his works an austere dignity and unaffected grace not to be found in some of the later ornamental painters.” (Jaya Appasamy, in LKA Monograph 1967 . pvi-vii). PAPR Lot 35 Ch.Lon/ 05.10.99 Pencil & Watercolour heightened with body colour 26 x 34.9 cm. ASP: £13,800/ Rs. 993,600 (£1 = Rs. 72.00) Lot 30 Ch.Lon/ 05.10.99 Chaitanya Pencil & Watercolour heightened with body colour 35.6 x 24.8 cm. ASP: £ 10,350/ Rs. 745,200 (£1 = Rs. 72.00) For colour illustration of this work refer to K.Majumdar. Calcutta: H.Mukherji & Co. 1923 (Text: O.C. Ganguly). Conservation work has been carried out on this painting.