The founding of the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group Group was no less than a supernova appearing on the horizon of Indian artistic history. From this colourful flash of a myriad of unique pictorial idioms dawned a modern renaissance. It witnessed the emergence of artistic stars who challenged preconceived notions and reinvented the meaning of Indian art. With their constantly evolving expressions, the landscapes on their canvases also moved away from the traditional idyllic representation and became abstracted. Going beyond the normal scope of imagination, these abstract works became a symbolic representation of the artists' inner vision and brought a complete reinterpretation to the sublime grandeur of nature. AstaGuru’s upcoming ‘Modern Treasures’ Auction will present abstract landscapes works from several important figures of Modern Indian Art- S. H. Raza, F.N. Souza, Ram Kumar, and Akbar Padamsee.

Lot no. 14 Untitled work by S.H. Raza

While S H Raza's contemporaries focussed primarily on figurative subjects, the artist chose to work with landscapes during the 1940s and 50s. Relocating to Paris on a scholarship further fueled his passion for landscapes. His then sojourn in France gave him insight of the vital elements in painting, as well as aided a clear metric of thinking and rationality. He began to understand the propositions and a sense of order and proportions in form and structure. While in France, S H Raza gained a good reputation within a matter of time, soon enough his art was appreciated by critics and academics, such as the future Director of the Museum of Modern Art of Paris, Jacques Lassaigne, Jean Bhownagary, Madame Rothschild, and celebrated writer Andre Maurois.

Lot no. 18 Paysage Aux Fleurs & Nu (Diptych)

The landscape with flowers is illuminated with rich colour fields against dark contrasting hues. The colour composition of vibrant green and ochre juxtaposed with strokes of black establishes the textured identity. The landscape sans any figures, evokes a sense of silence and desolation. The right panel of the artwork depicts a solitary nude woman figure, a subject that remained a fascination for Akbar Padamsee throughout his career.

Lot no. 19 Untitled by K.K. Hebbar

K K Hebbar aimed to explore Indian themes with western technique. This became the foundation of his art practice, which despite being a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism remained rooted in the ethos of Indian culture. The presented lot depicts a grazing scene, executed predominately with pastel hues, the background gets established based on the azure blue skyline. Through the course of his career, K K Hebbar continued to experiment with mediums, methods and styles. He created a large body of work, beginning with portraiture and during the later years his style towards abstraction.

Lot no. 32 Untitled work by Akbar Padamsee

During the early phase of his career, Akbar Padamsee was influenced by French Modernism and drew inspiration from artists such as Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee.After his return to India, the artist ventured on yet another exploration where he blended ideas from Sanskrit text, especially Kalidasa’s Abhijnanashakuntalam with Western modernist trends. He started experimenting with the juxtaposition of colours and structure. This exploration would become the bedrock of his famous Metascape series.

Lot no. 44 Untitled work by Ram Kumar

Ram Kumar’s tryst with abstraction started with his return from Paris in the late 1950s. Witnessing the plight of refugees and the unemployed youth of the country altered the vocabulary of his colour composition. The bright blues, buoyant golden and vivid greens gave way to a dark colour palette with ochre, viridian, and deep browns. The turning point of this progression came upon his visit to Varanasi in the early 1960s after which he completely devoted himself to creating luxurious and textured abstract landscapes that looked like jagged patchworks.

Lot no 47: Lake Maranacook, Readfield Depot Maine by F.N. Souza

During the early 70s, artist F.N Souza was travelling across the United States. The period also marked a shift in his style, opposed to his works that he created while he lived in London, which showcased structure, akin to the rigidity of his environment, while he painted during his travels, he opted for a spontaneous method, almost delving in abstraction. The image was created purely based on the colour and tactile contexts.