From across the dark in limelight, Tagore painting up for auction
In the 1937 painting, a human figure is seen sitting low on the slope of a dark hill, partially illuminated among dark greens and ochers, while another figure rises from the shadow and extends his arm, emitting a faint glow.
The painting will be auctioned online along with a handwritten card gifted to the princess that reads “Tamosah Parastat” in Bengali and “From through the Dark” in English.
AstaGuru Auction House marketing manager Manoj Mansukhani stated that this is the first time the artwork, which is currently part of a Mumbai-based collection, has been offered at an auction, adding that the auction will be held by AstaGuru between December 14-17.
“This work has extraordinary historical and emotional resonance. Painted in June 1937 during Tagore’s last and most creatively sustained stay at Almora, it reflects the introspective, atmospheric style of his late period,” he told ET.
The painting was Tagore’s way of consoling the princess and her husband Dewakar Prakash Singh, who had recently mourned the loss of their young child. Tagore had met them during his last visit to Almora in the summer of 1937, when he was said to have been painting with new intensity.
Tagore only started focusing on painting in 1928, when he was 67 years old. The poet had an emotional attachment to the hill places, especially Almora and Ramgarh in the Kumaon range, which he visited several times to seek solace over the loss of his loved ones, including his wife Mrinalini. Also included in the auction are paintings by Bengal School luminaries such as Jamini Roy, Bikash Bhattacharjee and Asit Haldar, as well as works by modernists such as: Tyeb Mehta, FN Souza, KH Ara, Sadanand Bakre, Jehangir Sabavala and Krishen Khanna.
Tyeb Mehta’s untitled work will be the most expensive artwork at the event with an estimated price tag of ₹30-40 crore. The next most expensive would be Jehangir Sabavala’s ‘The Conspirators’, which is tagged in the ₹4-6 crore range.
Two canvases by Manjit Bawa will be offered at the auction. An AstaGuru executive said that his work titled ‘Flying’ is estimated to sell for ₹3-5 crore.
