The Virility Of Colour

Learn about why the 70s were an important turning point for abstract genius VS Gaitonde, and what this means for Modern Indian art 

The 70s were a defining point in the history of Modern Indian art—more so because that time period was a pertinent juncture for one of India’s most revered abstract artists and his quest. It represents that phase of V.S. Gaitonde’s artistic career when he was holistically able to purge mortal frequencies and reflections from the canvas, to create works that laid the foundation for the epitome of his artistic gestures.

Observing his diachronic evolution, one needs to pay heed to the precursor phase that began with figurative depictions. The early 60s, therefore, can be considered the inception phase of V.S. Gaitonde’s work style, which would come to be recognised globally by the art cognoscenti. Throughout his career, he incessantly barred the onset of any particular art philosophy and chose to tread in the direction of Zen, which equipped him with a repository of inexhaustible diction of fleeting phonetics.