Osian's Auction Catalogue Forty Masterpieces | March 2003

“What was the raison d’etre for Ara nudes? He drew from several sources but his commitment was to modernism and everything was grist to the mill of painterly language. He was not involved with the anatomy of the figure nor with forms of realism. He was seeking a means of extending his language in colour, form, and composition and the nudes became an important component of this. Moving away from the raw, jagged strokes of his still life paintings, he began to exercise a cool restraint, evenly spreading his colour on canvas… One is reminded of Matisse, who, even while painting nudes, never lost sight of the pictorial construction of the picture space to which his subjects had to conform.” (Yashodhara Dalmia, in The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives . New Delhi: OUP 2001; p139.) Nude Signed in English, l.c. Watercolour on paper pasted on board, late 1950s 120.0 x 149.9 cm [47.2 x 59.0 in] Condition Preservation & restoration work has been carried out in Lucknow, December 2002 Provenance From the largest private collection of Aras in Mumbai. Lot 18 represents one of the very best works from the collection Rs. 1,000,000 – 1,100,000 $ 20,900 – 22,900 £ 12,500 – 13,800 _ 19,000 – 21,200 60 61 18 KRISHNA HAWLAJI ARA [1914-85/ b.Bolarum, Andhra Pradesh] HT.Mum/ 15.11.1997 Lot 67 Nude Watercolour on paper, early 1960s 75.0 x 55.0 cm ASP: Rs. 220,000 HT.Mum/ 28.11.1999 Lot 189 Black Nude Gouache on paper, 1965 103.5 x 69.5 cm ASP: Rs. 231,000 Os.Mum/ 20.10.2001 Lot 74 Woman & Desire Watercolour on paper pasted on board, 1933 94.8 x 42.0 cm ASP: Rs. 315,000