Osian's Auction Catalogue Indian Modern and Contemporary Art | March 2008

118 91 Naina Kanodia (b.1950) Woman Signed in English, l.l Acrylic on canvas 20.0 x 16.0 in (50.8 x 40.6 cm) INR 320,000 – 400,000 USD 8,000 – 10,000 92 Naina Kanodia (b.1950) Untitled Signed in English ‘Naina K’ l.l. Acrylic on canvas 35.7 x 29.0 in (91.0 x 74.5 cm) INR 400,000 – 500,000 USD 10,000 – 12,500 ‘ A plethora of decorative detail enter Naina’s work where compositions are rendered in flat surfaces and tangents that seem almost textured, woven and embroidered with rhythmic patterns. They include tiny flowers, dots, dashes, trees, plants, striations, chequered surfaces, crenilated curtains, hangings and other effects, some even incongruous with the setting. Thematically Naina sees her characters as living out their lives in the open, at home, at the street-curb eateries, at social gatherings, festivals and events with touches of eccentricity. They exude the raw confidence of having the right to live life to the fullest. Without a trace of self-consciousness they sit on their sofas, lie on lush couches… Underlying the humour and irony of this kitsch and celebration is a delicious mirth that refers to the fickle fantasy of it all.’ – Sumitra Kumar Srinivasan rpt. in Naina Kanodia – A Cornucopia of Dreams. HSBC JAG ExC 2002.