Two monumental oil on canvases by leading modernist V S Gaitonde from 1970 and 1971, each estimated to sell between Rs 12-16 crores, are set to go under the hammer at an online AstaGuru auction on March 30-31.

According to a statement by the 2008-established auction house, both of Gaitonde's works featuring in the Modern Indian Art online auction come from a highly significant period in the artist's career when he was considered to be in his most productive and experimental phase, during which his work style completely journeyed towards abstraction. Gaitonde's paintings from the 70's embody the principal technical methodologies, as well as the ideologies of Zen Buddhism he had adopted as an artist over the last decade.

Gaitonde's work from 1970 takes on a minimalistic approach featuring a largely subtle overtone with abstracted forms painted in deep blacks that appear to float on the canvas and break the monochromatic composition of the painting. The second work truly showcases Gaitonde's control over the medium and his mastery on the canvas to achieve a vivacious creation of earthy overtones with bright patches of orange that seek to break through its surface, said AstaGuru.