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

THE PASSIONATE DETACHMENT 186 171 BIREN DE (b.1926) Portrait of Most Reverend Monsignor Joseph Fernandes - Archbishop of Delhi S/d in English, l.l Oil on canvas, 1954 60.5 x 48.0 cm. (23.8 x 18.9”) “ Biren De’s style of portraiture shows his adherence to the conventional and the discipline of study. His knowledge of drawing and vigorous painterly craftsmanship permit him to transcend the delineation of fact and to take interest in the sitter and in the painting as a work of art. Biren’s portraiture becomes monumental painting; notable subjects range from the regal figure of the Archbishop of Delhi and the austere First Governor General…” (Jaya Appasamy, from Biren De – a profile , rpt. in Biren De 1976 ). Rs. 300,000 – 375,000 $ 6,385 – 7,980