Page 115 - Iconic Masters October2023

Lot No. 95
RAM KUMAR
1924-2018

LANDSCAPE
36 x 48 in (91.4 x 121.9 cm)
Oil on canvas
1965
Signed & Dated: Verso

` 70,00,000 - 90,00,000 | $ 82,352 - 105,882
Provenance: Property from a collection based in
New Delhi.

Eminent modernist Ram Kumar was born in 1924 in Simla.
Although he initially wanted to be a writer, he started
studying art formally in 1945 and moved to New Delhi
to further pursue his interest in art under artist Sailoz
Mookherjea. He then studied under accomplished
artists Andre Lhote and Fernand Leger in Paris from the
years 1949 to 1952. He was also a member of the famed
Progressive Artists’ Group alongside other revered
Indian modernists such as M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, S.H.
Raza, S.K. Bakre and H.A. Gade among others.

Although his formative years as an artist were replete
with figurative works, he soon found his calling for
abstract landscapes in 1960. This was the year when
he first visited Varanasi, prompting him to transform his
artistic style and capture landscapes devoid of human
presence. These works explored the relationship
between objects, individuals and space, dictated by
his preoccupation with nature and consciousness.
His interpretation of the landscapes he encountered
saw the topography as a concept and utilised lines,
colours, brushstrokes and textures to further amplify
them. The late 1960s saw him turn towards the
Himalayan foothills as inspiration for his abstract works,
inspired by his childhood in Simla. The lines, blocks
and planes amalgamated to create impressive works
that reflected his inclination to complete abstraction.
His landscape works, renowned across the globe,
reflect a sense of anguish and tranquillity despite the
reservedness through his tones and lines.