Page 136 - Iconic Masters October2023

Lot No. 114
G R SANTOSH
1929-1997

UNTITLED
53 x 42 in (134.6 x 106.7 cm)
Oil on canvas
` 20,00,000 - 25,00,000 | $ 23,529 - 29,412

Provenance: Property from a collection based in
Mumbai. Artwork was acquired by the present owner
directly from the artist.

Prominent Kashmiri painter and poet Ghulam Rasool
Santosh was born in 1929 in Srinagar, Kashmir. Although
he had art as a subject during his matriculation, he was
forced to quit further studies due to his father’s passing.
During this time, he worked multiple odd jobs including
silk weaving and signboard painting, after which he
decided to focus on becoming a papier-mache artist.
He joined the Progressive Arts Association in Kashmir in
1950 and exhibited his works around the country as part
of the group’s efforts. He was granted a government
scholarship in 1954 and studied Fine Arts at the M.S.
University, Baroda under N.S. Bendre.

Early on, he was influenced by the mysticism and
geometric shapes of the Kashmir valley. He was
renowned for his early semi-abstract landscapes after
which he introduced Cubism into his works. Although
Cubism became a large part of his works, his love for his
birthplace remained evident in his oeuvre. The turning
point in his career was when he began exploring Tantra
and Kashmir Shaivism. This led to him pioneering the
neo-Tantra movement in the country and resulted in
impressive works exploring human emotion rather than
geography.

1953 onwards, Santosh has exhibited his works in 30 solo
shows and was the recipient of the Lalit Kala Akademi
award in 1973 and the Padma Shri in 1977.