Osian's Auction Catalogue The Masterpieces Series | March 2010

135 The Masterpieces SerieS 83 S aJal r oy (b.1935) Untitled Oil on canvas, 1969 S/d in English ‘SAJAL/69’ t.l. 53.8 x 39.9 in (136.7 x 101.3 cm) INR 500,000 – 750,000 US$ 10,420 – 15,630 “Roy exposes hypocrisy at a contemporary social level, stripping the masks from faces, showing the facelessness beneath. His paintings are based on man’s aesthetical relation to reality. He feels that, as a Calcuttan, ‘I am grateful to the city as my works of art have achieved new dimensions from my close association with the toiling masses and struggling people of his great city.’ He adds, ‘…I belong to the angry generation. My art expresses the agony of the oppressed have-nots when I protest against wrongs, when I revolt. I am insulted. I suffer the shame of defeat. Millions of downtrodden citizens like me are in this predicament. That’s why my role as an Indian painter is revolutionary.’ This is the essence of Sajal Roy’s art.” – Sovon Som, rpt. in Frontier, 31 December 1983. 84 S hoBha B roota (b.1943) Portrait of Rameshwar Broota Oil on canvas, 1971 Signed in Devanagiri ‘Sobha’ and dated in English ‘71’ l.r. 20.0 x 14.8 in (50.8 x 37.6 cm) INR 320,000 – 480,000 US$ 6,670 – 10,000