Osian's Auction Catalogue Indian Modern Fine Arts | June 2017

23 George Keyt (1901 – 1993) Peace Oil on canvas, 1950 S/d ‘G Keyt 50 Bombay’ c.l. 29.9 x 44.9 in (76.0 x 114.0 cm) Provenance Formerly from the Collection of Victor Pemberton, who was gifted the painting by the artist George Keyt directly. Pemberton is the Emmy award-winning British writer and television producer credited for Doctor Who, The Adventrures of Black Beauty and Fraggle Rock . Painting thereafter purchased from Sotheby’s London 2014 by present owner. INR 1,200,000 – 1,800,000 USD 18,750 – 28,125 The influence of the Kandyan paintings on Keyt’s style has not been of a direct kind, like that of the Sigiriya paintings, in as much as the small size and uniform, primitive, purely local technique are obviously not tenable in an age characterized by a vast diffusion of knowledge. But certain similarities of feeling and technique are noticeable. There is, for example, Keyt’s practice – not, of course invariably followed – of painting the face full-face, three-quarter face, or side-face, rather in the Kandyan manner; his custom, not, again, invariable, of outlining his figures with a black line; his frequent choice of yellow for painting the human form; the freedom with which, on occasion he uses pure bright colours; and the simplicity of colour and design in many of his pictures. Martin Russell rpt. in George Keyt:Introduction and Biographical Note Marg 1959 ; p33-34. Property Formerly from the Collection of Victor Pemberton, Emmy award- winning British writer and television producer Indian Modern Fine Arts | 63