Osian's Auction Catalogue Masterpieces and Museum-Quality III | March 2004

145 MASTERPIECES & MUSEUM-QUALITY III 67 REKHA RODWITTIYA (b.1958 / Bangalore, Karnataka) Feet of Clay (The Bandit Queen) S/d in English on verso Oil on canvas, 1994 180.0 x 122.0 cm (70.9 x 48.0 in) Rs. 250,000 – 325,000 US$ 5,550 – 7,200 GB£ 3,050 – 3,950 68 SURENDRAN NAIR (b.1956 / Onakkoor, Kerala) Apocolocynthosis (The Ostrich Act III) S/d in English on verso Acrylic and oil on canvas, 1995 174.5 x 234.5 cm (68.7 x 92.3 in) Rs. 250,000 – 325,000 US$ 5,550 – 7,200 GB£ 3,050 – 3,950 OSIANs S.I.R. ANALYSIS [1995–2003] Present Estimate 73.46 Previous High 309.92 [Sa.On/21.09.01] Auction Average 289.84 Opinion With an average S.I.R. of 36.52 between 1995–2003, Rekha Rodwittiya is a highly under priced artist. “…feminine vulnerability is an area which Rekha has explored in the more recent paintings. Of all aspects associated with typical femininity, the dependency on the male, particularly with regard to emotionality, has far-reaching consequences. Woman’s dependency on man is an inevitable consequence of the latter’s autonomy in all realms of life perpetuated right from the childhood of the woman. The gruesome result of dependency is the susceptibility to getting wounded. Rekha’s female protagonists in many instances are destined to face this compulsive tragic predicament. Their disposition in association with the essentially vertical male symbols like a totem pole, a pillar, a tree, a fish or the chimney of a factory, enables the interpretation of this vulnerability. The positive assertion of the physical presence of the male, female and the emblematic conjunctions is an objective assessment and acceptance of these aspects of life. In certain instances the female figure assumes a monumentality which commands the onlooker to approach them with a certain amount of reverence. The simplified and abstracted delineation of their physical being greatly enhances this aspect.” (Dr. Shivaji K. Panikar, in ‘Of Feminist Concerns & Beyond’, rpt. in Rekha Rodwittiya EXC . Seagull Gallery 1992; pp.18-9.) “‘I am concerned with viewing situations and circumstances that are about the ‘location’ of woman… For Rodwittiya the use of metaphor is a very important vehicle through which she communicates. She says, ‘I enjoy the ability to play with associations of meaning and I create new ones by the manner in which I use them in my work. My work is absent of direct narration; instead, it has layers of meanings that get presented… Inner and outer spaces converge and a ‘theatre’ of situations confronts the viewer. The device of an upfront presentation is deliberate, forcing the viewer into an immediacy of contact. As a feminist my work is completely reflective of the issues that concern gender politics… Issues of identity, the resurrection of the female spirit, nurturer, comforter are some of the numerous ideas that thread the female form that I represent. My female figure is never a victim.” (Mary-Ann Milford-Lutzker, rpt. in Women Artists of India – A Celebration of Independence EXC . Mills College Art Gallery 1997; pp.11-2.) OSIANs S.I.R. ANALYSIS [1997–2003] Present Estimate 39.43 Previous High 101.16 [Os.Mum/27.11.03] Previous Average 34.39 Auction Average 289.84