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

25 Sunil Madhav Sen (1910 – 1979) Animal Oil on paper pasted on board, 1950 Signed ‘Sunil Madhav Sen’ l.r. 9.8 x 4.3 in (25.0 x 11.0 cm) Provenance Acquired directly from the Artist by Delhi Art Gallery; thereafter acquired by Osian’s - Connoisseurs of Art and sold to Private Mumbai-based Collector in 2005. INR 300,000 – 450,000 USD 4,688 – 7,031 He specialized in painting in oil – a medium which he mastered so meticulously that many of his oil paintings look as translucent as watercolours. He was, however not attracted to the lures of nature and rarely painted landscapes. He exposed himself to different influences: the influences of Picasso, Matisse and other western masters, on the one hand, and the tradition of folk art of his country on the other. Pranabendu Dasgupta rpt in Sunil Madhav Sen BAAC ExC 1980. My contention is that Sunil Madhav Sen always found a special pleasure in delineating human figures…To my mind Sunil Madhav is primarily interested in the immense possibilities of human anatomy, its strength and grandeur, its verve and vigour…. Another interesting thing to note is that his oil paintings look like watercolours – transparent, thin and seldom glossy. This effect he achieved by using light oil on paper, and soaking the paper in turpentine and genuine zinc for a few days and then painting on it. The colours used in most of his paintings are bright, and Sunil Madhav loves to work with primary colours. Pranabendu Dasgupta rpt. in LKC 28, September 1979; p52-54. Indian Modern Fine Arts | 65