Osian's Auction Catalogue ABC Series III | March 2007

ABC Series III 52 51 L. MUNUSWAMY (b.1927) Bird, Beast and Buttery S/d in English ‘Munuswamy 61’ t.r. Oil on canvas, 1961 33.9 x 39.0 in (86.0 x 99.0 cm) INR 1,200,000 – 1,500,000 USD 27,100 – 33,850 ‘In the sixties, I painted a number of works which had birds and animals as their motif. These forms lent themselves to a great extent to the liberty of an artist, to distort, dismember, interlock in a number of ways that satised the urge to create. The human form, when it is distorted beyond certain limits, becomes crude and vulgarized whereas animal forms lend themselves to innumerable forms that are agreeable and lovable.’ – Geeta Doctor, rpt. in Indian Express 14 December 1985. ‘He sees the whole panorama of landscape – birds, animals, vegetation, the sun, moon and the water – as a lyrical symphony, full of criss-crossing, overlapping as well as parallel lines, ultimately creating a picture of harmony.’ – Anjali Sircar rpt. in L.Munuswamy LKA Monograph 1985.