Osian's Auction Catalogue Creative India Series 1 Bengal | December 2011

p ulin B eHari d uTT c. 1900 – c.1978 the rider Watercolour and wash on paper, Late 1940s Signed in Bengali ‘Pulin’ l.r. Unfinished pencil sketch on verso 6.0 x 8.1 in (14.9 x 20.3 cm) Condition Tears and minor paper abrasions at a few places, especially l.r. Provenance Acquired directly from Pulin Behari Dutt’s widow by Dr. Prokash Kejriwal, after a visit with the late artist Shyamal Dutta Ray in the mid 1980s ` 200,000 – 300,000 US$ 4,000 – 6,000 42 1780 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1910 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 2000 “He started painting early in life and under the guidance of Abanindranath Tagore...He paints after the best Indian style and tradition; and in the fine sensitive line, soft subdued colour and clever brush work one can trace influences of Ajanta, Rajput and some of the modern masters. There is in Dutt’s art not only the lyrical sweetness of the Orient but the strength and vigour of the Occident. And to that extent he is a modern with an eclectic taste like that of his own master. Dutt’s paintings may not have the rich harmony of colouring, the charm of decorative composition and the exquisitely flawless technique of some of his compeers, like Kshitin Mazumdar or K. Venkatappa, but they certainly possess the lofty idealism, the lively imagination and the sure mastery of design of any one of them... An exile from Bengal, he made Bombay his home and teaching art his profession. An ideal art master, he does not impose his style or ideas on his young pupils but helps them, silently and unobstrusively to express themselves. He never gives them any model to copy from or even suggests a subject... It is as the inspirer and founder of the Child Art Society in Bombay that he will be long remembered and appreciated.” [Thacker, Manu & G. Venkatachalam [1950]. Present-Day Painters of India (Manu Thacker Memorial Volume). Bombay: Sudhangshu Publications; pp.67-68.]