V. S. GAITONDE (1924- 2001)
1960 VS Gaitonde sailing to Abstraction
2016 SOLD for $ 2.78M including premium
Vasudeo S. Gaitonde is firstly active in the artistic community of India. His style wavers between a geometric construction inspired by Paul Klee and the modernization of traditional themes alongside his friends Maqbool Fida Hussein, Akbar Padamsee and Ram Kumar.
His interest in abstraction started in 1957 when he began to paint with a roller and a knife in successive translucent layers that transform the image by bringing a shining. The turning point of his career was in 1960 when Air India took an interest in his work. Until his death 41 years later, his art became specialized in a splendid invitation to meditation.
The effect of presence is undeniable because the viewer imagines some forms, but Gaitonde increases the mystery by not revealing his figurative source of inspiration. The introduction of a kind of horizon marker in his 1962 series soberly entitled Painting is spectacular and opens to him some notoriety. His art is not yet compared to Rothko's but already deserves to be.
On March 15 in New York, Sotheby's sells an oil on canvas painted in 1960 in a very large size for this artist, 152 x 263 cm. It is estimated $ 2.5M, lot 530.
In an ethereal environment that can be mist, a form in hues of blue appears as a ghost ship. The down extension of a major line is certainly the reflection of the mast. The blue stain in the right side of the picture is a simple counterweight in the composition or may be it is a bindi.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
His interest in abstraction started in 1957 when he began to paint with a roller and a knife in successive translucent layers that transform the image by bringing a shining. The turning point of his career was in 1960 when Air India took an interest in his work. Until his death 41 years later, his art became specialized in a splendid invitation to meditation.
The effect of presence is undeniable because the viewer imagines some forms, but Gaitonde increases the mystery by not revealing his figurative source of inspiration. The introduction of a kind of horizon marker in his 1962 series soberly entitled Painting is spectacular and opens to him some notoriety. His art is not yet compared to Rothko's but already deserves to be.
On March 15 in New York, Sotheby's sells an oil on canvas painted in 1960 in a very large size for this artist, 152 x 263 cm. It is estimated $ 2.5M, lot 530.
In an ethereal environment that can be mist, a form in hues of blue appears as a ghost ship. The down extension of a major line is certainly the reflection of the mast. The blue stain in the right side of the picture is a simple counterweight in the composition or may be it is a bindi.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
1962 The Non-Objective Light of VS Gaitonde
2014 SOLD 2.5 M$ including premium
VS Gaitonde began his artistic career in contact with the painters of the Mumbai avant-garde : Souza, Husain, Raza. His early themes are figurative, in an arrangement that evokes ancient frescoes. In the late 1950s, he observes the dialogue of colors through abstract compositions structured in irregular geometries, such as Nicholson.
He finds his personal pictorial language in 1962. The classical abstraction is no longer suitable because it can not reach the quiet strength of Zen meditation. Now he will express the relationship between texture and light. His art is no more abstract but non-objective, according to his own wording.
In the beginning is the color, laid in thin layers until its meeting with light provides a translucent effect.
Varied spots of paint are made with the knife on a line that could be the horizon of a landscape but is not, at least at that time. These spots could have been the signs of Twombly over the expressive colors of Zao Wou-ki. It is not the case. Once the viewer is drawn into the picture like in a Rothko, the spots have no remaining role.
The new technique is meticulous. Gaitonde becomes a perfectionist and his art is rare but he devotes his entire life to it. His way is so personal that he no longer needs meeting the other artists and recluses. He continued his non-objective quest through the last four decades of his life, and by his originality he must be considered as one of the most authentic artists of the twentieth century, far away from glory and noise.
Made in 1962 and entitled Painting No. 3, an oil on canvas 100 x 76 cm is a perfect example of Gaitonde's first steps in his new Zen art. It is estimated $ 2M, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on March 19. I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's.
He finds his personal pictorial language in 1962. The classical abstraction is no longer suitable because it can not reach the quiet strength of Zen meditation. Now he will express the relationship between texture and light. His art is no more abstract but non-objective, according to his own wording.
In the beginning is the color, laid in thin layers until its meeting with light provides a translucent effect.
Varied spots of paint are made with the knife on a line that could be the horizon of a landscape but is not, at least at that time. These spots could have been the signs of Twombly over the expressive colors of Zao Wou-ki. It is not the case. Once the viewer is drawn into the picture like in a Rothko, the spots have no remaining role.
The new technique is meticulous. Gaitonde becomes a perfectionist and his art is rare but he devotes his entire life to it. His way is so personal that he no longer needs meeting the other artists and recluses. He continued his non-objective quest through the last four decades of his life, and by his originality he must be considered as one of the most authentic artists of the twentieth century, far away from glory and noise.
Made in 1962 and entitled Painting No. 3, an oil on canvas 100 x 76 cm is a perfect example of Gaitonde's first steps in his new Zen art. It is estimated $ 2M, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on March 19. I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's.
1963 Gaitonde influenced by Rothko
2015 SOLD for $ 2.3M including premium
When Vasudeo Gaitonde decided to offer his own style of non-objective art, he developed a method of successive additions and withdrawals of thin layers of paint to bring the desired transparency and brightness.
In 1962, he combines this new technique with pseudo-calligraphic signs affixed with the knife. This proto-writing is contemporary to the observations of the Roman graffiti by Twombly. On March 19, 2014, Sotheby's sold for $ 2.5 million including premium Painting No. 3 by Gaitonde.
I do not know if Gaitonde ever met Twombly but it is certain that he visited Rothko around that period. Among the abstract expressionists, Mark Rothko is the artist who went the furthest in the enchantment of the viewer by the balance between colors. It is not surprising that he was able to influence the young Hindu artist in his search of Zen.
Painted in 1962 by Gaitonde, an oil on canvas 127 x 77 cm sold for $ 970K including premium by Sotheby's on March 19, 2013 can be reinterpreted as the addition of the pseudo-Zen semiotics over a structure of colors imitating Rothko.
This relationship becomes obvious within an oil on canvas 114 x 97 cm painted by Gaitonde in 1963, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on March 18, lot 1326 estimated $ 1.5M. The orange-brown harmony is very similar to a composition made by Rothko in the same year, according to the convincing demonstration offered by the auction house in their catalog.
In 1962, he combines this new technique with pseudo-calligraphic signs affixed with the knife. This proto-writing is contemporary to the observations of the Roman graffiti by Twombly. On March 19, 2014, Sotheby's sold for $ 2.5 million including premium Painting No. 3 by Gaitonde.
I do not know if Gaitonde ever met Twombly but it is certain that he visited Rothko around that period. Among the abstract expressionists, Mark Rothko is the artist who went the furthest in the enchantment of the viewer by the balance between colors. It is not surprising that he was able to influence the young Hindu artist in his search of Zen.
Painted in 1962 by Gaitonde, an oil on canvas 127 x 77 cm sold for $ 970K including premium by Sotheby's on March 19, 2013 can be reinterpreted as the addition of the pseudo-Zen semiotics over a structure of colors imitating Rothko.
This relationship becomes obvious within an oil on canvas 114 x 97 cm painted by Gaitonde in 1963, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on March 18, lot 1326 estimated $ 1.5M. The orange-brown harmony is very similar to a composition made by Rothko in the same year, according to the convincing demonstration offered by the auction house in their catalog.
1969 The Inner Landscapes of VS Gaitonde
2012 SOLD 960 K$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Young artists who wanted to renew the art of India were figurative, sometimes violent. The path chosen by VS Gaitonde is the opposite, although he always refused to be considered as an abstract painter.
This meditator influenced by Zen exclusively devoted his life to his art. Very familiar with the trends of his time, he creates subtle shapes and shades that expresses the tranquility as well as Rothko expresses the fascination.
There is no story or life in a landscape by Gaitonde, the observer is alone in front of the quiet world.
The oil on canvas painted in 1969, for sale by Christie's in New York on September 12, lot 315, is typical. It is estimated $450K, but the works of this period and of similar dimensions, 152 x 101 cm, may be more expensive in India where his art is widely recognized. A luminous mist permeatesl an unidentified flooded space broken off by a row of shrubs and their reflections.
Gaitonde worked carefully, spreading his layers with roller and knife. He has his right place in the long line of artists who flirt for a century at the border between landscape and abstraction, from Monet to Richter through Zao Wou-Ki.
POST SALE COMMENT
I had correctly stated that the estimate was too low. This outstanding painting by Gaitonde was sold for $ 960K including premium, far above its higher estimate.
Young artists who wanted to renew the art of India were figurative, sometimes violent. The path chosen by VS Gaitonde is the opposite, although he always refused to be considered as an abstract painter.
This meditator influenced by Zen exclusively devoted his life to his art. Very familiar with the trends of his time, he creates subtle shapes and shades that expresses the tranquility as well as Rothko expresses the fascination.
There is no story or life in a landscape by Gaitonde, the observer is alone in front of the quiet world.
The oil on canvas painted in 1969, for sale by Christie's in New York on September 12, lot 315, is typical. It is estimated $450K, but the works of this period and of similar dimensions, 152 x 101 cm, may be more expensive in India where his art is widely recognized. A luminous mist permeatesl an unidentified flooded space broken off by a row of shrubs and their reflections.
Gaitonde worked carefully, spreading his layers with roller and knife. He has his right place in the long line of artists who flirt for a century at the border between landscape and abstraction, from Monet to Richter through Zao Wou-Ki.
POST SALE COMMENT
I had correctly stated that the estimate was too low. This outstanding painting by Gaitonde was sold for $ 960K including premium, far above its higher estimate.
1970 Gaitonde displaying the Silence
2016 SOLD for INR 10 crores (worth US$ 1.53M) including premium
2019 UNSOLD
PRE 2019 SALE DISCUSSION
An oil on canvas 152 x 88 cm painted in 1970 by V.S. Gaitonde was sold for £ 970K by Christie's on 10 June 2015, lot 33, and for Rs 10 crores worth US $ 1.53M by Saffronart on September 8, 2016, lot 48. These results include the premium.
It is now estimated US $ 1.8M at Saffronart in an online auction scheduled for June 12-13, lot 51. I narrated it as follows before the 2016 sale.
The art of V. S. Gaitonde is rare and precious by its very nature. The texture, composed of translucent layers with different hues of a single color, is impeccable. The result is an expression of the deep meditation of this artist influenced by Zen and looking for philosophy, life and truth.
The art of Gaitonde often appears as an encounter with water wrapped in mist. Areas looking like reflections bring a semblance of perspective contradicted by the structuring of the canvas in horizontal zones. The elements that seem to float have an indistinguishable nature that strengthens the mystical dimension of the message.
The abstraction of Gaitonde is not only an expression of nature. His almost systematic choice of vertical formats from the mid-1960s brings a bottom up vision leading to heaven and emotion.
Gaitonde was a quiet man who deliberately avoided the fame. He leaves to others the figuration : no being, no human construction will disturb his ineffable art of silence.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house before the 2019 auction.
An oil on canvas 152 x 88 cm painted in 1970 by V.S. Gaitonde was sold for £ 970K by Christie's on 10 June 2015, lot 33, and for Rs 10 crores worth US $ 1.53M by Saffronart on September 8, 2016, lot 48. These results include the premium.
It is now estimated US $ 1.8M at Saffronart in an online auction scheduled for June 12-13, lot 51. I narrated it as follows before the 2016 sale.
The art of V. S. Gaitonde is rare and precious by its very nature. The texture, composed of translucent layers with different hues of a single color, is impeccable. The result is an expression of the deep meditation of this artist influenced by Zen and looking for philosophy, life and truth.
The art of Gaitonde often appears as an encounter with water wrapped in mist. Areas looking like reflections bring a semblance of perspective contradicted by the structuring of the canvas in horizontal zones. The elements that seem to float have an indistinguishable nature that strengthens the mystical dimension of the message.
The abstraction of Gaitonde is not only an expression of nature. His almost systematic choice of vertical formats from the mid-1960s brings a bottom up vision leading to heaven and emotion.
Gaitonde was a quiet man who deliberately avoided the fame. He leaves to others the figuration : no being, no human construction will disturb his ineffable art of silence.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house before the 2019 auction.
1979 The Abstract Zen of VS Gaitonde
2013 SOLD for INR 23.7 crores (worth US $ 3.8M) including premium
VS Gaitonde was a quiet man. Art is a process to communicate to the world the images created in his inner self bathed within the principles of Buddhist Zen.
The oil on canvas is his preferred technique, but the use he makes of it is complex. In the following of abstract expressionism, he creates illusions of shapes and textures by varying the application of layers of paint on the surface of the canvas.
Perfectionist, he does not leave his work until he is absolutely satisfied with the result, which requires a long approach to perfection. His art is rare.
In the 1960s, the subconscious of Gaitonde generates imaginary landscapes too close to abstraction for inviting to an identification. A good example made in 1969 was previously discussed in this column. This painting 152 x 101 cm was sold for $ 960K including premium by Christie's on September 12, 2012.
On December 19 in Mumbai, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 153 x 102 cm, estimated INR 65M. Here is the link to the catalog.
Dated 1979, this painting marks an abandonment of the illusion of landscape in favor of a sort of calligraphy that will become sharper, and therefore less mesmerizing, in his later career. The choice of color is somptuous between gold and brown.
Gaitonde liked to live in seclusion. His art is not sufficiently recognized internationally. However, he expresses the relationship of man and ground as Pollock did, he translates the subtlety of his inner self like Zao Wou-ki, he captures the emotion of the viewer like Rothko and his technique anticipates the squeegee of Richter.
POST SALE COMMENT
This sumptuous abstract painting by Gaitonde is also a key work in the development of his art. It was sold for Rs 23.7 crore including premium, equivalent to U.S. $ 3.8 M.
The oil on canvas is his preferred technique, but the use he makes of it is complex. In the following of abstract expressionism, he creates illusions of shapes and textures by varying the application of layers of paint on the surface of the canvas.
Perfectionist, he does not leave his work until he is absolutely satisfied with the result, which requires a long approach to perfection. His art is rare.
In the 1960s, the subconscious of Gaitonde generates imaginary landscapes too close to abstraction for inviting to an identification. A good example made in 1969 was previously discussed in this column. This painting 152 x 101 cm was sold for $ 960K including premium by Christie's on September 12, 2012.
On December 19 in Mumbai, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 153 x 102 cm, estimated INR 65M. Here is the link to the catalog.
Dated 1979, this painting marks an abandonment of the illusion of landscape in favor of a sort of calligraphy that will become sharper, and therefore less mesmerizing, in his later career. The choice of color is somptuous between gold and brown.
Gaitonde liked to live in seclusion. His art is not sufficiently recognized internationally. However, he expresses the relationship of man and ground as Pollock did, he translates the subtlety of his inner self like Zao Wou-ki, he captures the emotion of the viewer like Rothko and his technique anticipates the squeegee of Richter.
POST SALE COMMENT
This sumptuous abstract painting by Gaitonde is also a key work in the development of his art. It was sold for Rs 23.7 crore including premium, equivalent to U.S. $ 3.8 M.
1982 The Rhythm of Silence
2019 SOLD for INR 26.3 crores (worth US $ 3.7M) including premium
V.S. Gaitonde returned from New York in 1965 after a long stay during which he had met Rothko in his studio. He develops his own way by gradually eliminating all superfluous elements for his expressionist interpretation of nature.
He thus removes the contours of forms, the pseudo-calligraphic and symbolic signs, the illusions of perspective. Oil on canvas becomes his only technique. The artwork becomes monochrome in an immutable vertical format. Yet each opus is different from the previous one, in a search for continuous improvement that rejects chance and feelings.
After a superposition of transparent layers of which the artist has not revealed the detailed process, the roller, the brush and the knife create variations of brilliance in a global geometric balance. Gaitonde seeks, in his own words, the absorption of silences, bringing a visual musicality. He observes a similarity of his approach to Buddhist Zen which considers that the open space must be filled by the mind.
After the patient meditation and the quick execution, the third and final phase is contemplation. If the musicality of silence suits the artist, he keeps the work in his studio for a possible public use. If not, he scraps it. And he starts again with a new canvas.
All these features converge in a 153 x 102 cm oil on canvas painted in 1979, sold for INR 23.7 crores including premium by Christie's on December 19, 2013.
An oil on canvas of the same dimensions painted in 1982 belongs to the same phase of the career of the artist. It was sold by Pundole's on April 9, 2015 for INR 16.5 crores, a figure that probably does not include the premium. It is estimated INR 20 crores worth US $ 2.9M for sale by Saffronart in New Delhi on September 12, lot 12.
He thus removes the contours of forms, the pseudo-calligraphic and symbolic signs, the illusions of perspective. Oil on canvas becomes his only technique. The artwork becomes monochrome in an immutable vertical format. Yet each opus is different from the previous one, in a search for continuous improvement that rejects chance and feelings.
After a superposition of transparent layers of which the artist has not revealed the detailed process, the roller, the brush and the knife create variations of brilliance in a global geometric balance. Gaitonde seeks, in his own words, the absorption of silences, bringing a visual musicality. He observes a similarity of his approach to Buddhist Zen which considers that the open space must be filled by the mind.
After the patient meditation and the quick execution, the third and final phase is contemplation. If the musicality of silence suits the artist, he keeps the work in his studio for a possible public use. If not, he scraps it. And he starts again with a new canvas.
All these features converge in a 153 x 102 cm oil on canvas painted in 1979, sold for INR 23.7 crores including premium by Christie's on December 19, 2013.
An oil on canvas of the same dimensions painted in 1982 belongs to the same phase of the career of the artist. It was sold by Pundole's on April 9, 2015 for INR 16.5 crores, a figure that probably does not include the premium. It is estimated INR 20 crores worth US $ 2.9M for sale by Saffronart in New Delhi on September 12, lot 12.
1995 The Intangible Glimmer of VS Gaitonde
2015 SOLD for INR 29.3 crores (worth US $ 4.4M) including premium
The artistic career of Vasudeo S. Gaitonde is a meticulous progress towards the light. Originally inspired by Rothko, the artist covers his paintings with a luminous paint often interrupted by darker expressions that may evoke some perspective.
Gaitonde is a Zen artist who favors meditation and works slowly. The rarity of his art, just over five paintings a year, has probably slowed the spread of his reputation.
On December 15 in Mumbai, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 140 x 102 cm, lot 25 estimated Rs 12 crore equivalent to US $ 1.8M. This painting is dated 1995. Gaitonde was 71 years old, and this picture is typical of the magnificent culmination of his research.
The color between ochre and gold has become almost monochrome. It plays with light by the effects of glimmer, reflection and texture. The canvas is scattered with regular horizontal lines and with non semiotic closed figures whose role is to diffuse the viewer's attention into the entire surface. Like for Rothko, the best works by Gaitonde can hardly be understood by the inspection of a photograph.
This late work entirely made of light and texture anticipates by over ten years the quest of the younger monochromists like Tauba Auerbach or Rudolf Stingel.
Gaitonde is a Zen artist who favors meditation and works slowly. The rarity of his art, just over five paintings a year, has probably slowed the spread of his reputation.
On December 15 in Mumbai, Christie's sells an oil on canvas 140 x 102 cm, lot 25 estimated Rs 12 crore equivalent to US $ 1.8M. This painting is dated 1995. Gaitonde was 71 years old, and this picture is typical of the magnificent culmination of his research.
The color between ochre and gold has become almost monochrome. It plays with light by the effects of glimmer, reflection and texture. The canvas is scattered with regular horizontal lines and with non semiotic closed figures whose role is to diffuse the viewer's attention into the entire surface. Like for Rothko, the best works by Gaitonde can hardly be understood by the inspection of a photograph.
This late work entirely made of light and texture anticipates by over ten years the quest of the younger monochromists like Tauba Auerbach or Rudolf Stingel.
1996 The Ultimate Embers of V.S. Gaitonde
2017 SOLD for $ 4.1M including premium
The art of V.S. Gaitonde is a hyperbolic approach to his passion. Like Zao Wou-Ki and Matta he went to use the abstraction to express his feeling of the sublime. The forms play over colors like the music over silence.
The oil on canvas is his unique technique throughout this course of almost half a century. Over time his mastery of texture and light becomes total. The artworks have no title because the psychology of each person is unique. Gaitonde does not try to be understood or to train disciples but those who will imitate him will certainly reach a nirvana.
Yellow is powerful and dazzling. A gold and ochre composition 140 x 102 cm inhabited by geometric shapes without apparent meaning was sold on December 15, 2015 by Christie's for INR 29.3 crores including premium worth US $ 4.4M. Painted in 1995 it is an example of the perfectionist creativity of his later career.
On September 13 in New York, Christie's sells an oil on canvas of the same size painted in 1996 which is perhaps the ultimate masterpiece by Gaitonde, finally releasing his inner incandescence patiently retained by his Zen.
This composition appears as a continuation to the 1995 painting. The vermilion background reveals the inner fire and the geometric forms arise like yellow and orange embers. It is estimated $ 2,8M, lot 414.
The oil on canvas is his unique technique throughout this course of almost half a century. Over time his mastery of texture and light becomes total. The artworks have no title because the psychology of each person is unique. Gaitonde does not try to be understood or to train disciples but those who will imitate him will certainly reach a nirvana.
Yellow is powerful and dazzling. A gold and ochre composition 140 x 102 cm inhabited by geometric shapes without apparent meaning was sold on December 15, 2015 by Christie's for INR 29.3 crores including premium worth US $ 4.4M. Painted in 1995 it is an example of the perfectionist creativity of his later career.
On September 13 in New York, Christie's sells an oil on canvas of the same size painted in 1996 which is perhaps the ultimate masterpiece by Gaitonde, finally releasing his inner incandescence patiently retained by his Zen.
This composition appears as a continuation to the 1995 painting. The vermilion background reveals the inner fire and the geometric forms arise like yellow and orange embers. It is estimated $ 2,8M, lot 414.
1998 The Green Silence
2018 SOLD for INR 11.5 crores (worth US $ 1.85M) including premium
At the end of his life V.S. Gaitonde no longer differentiates between his own existence and his artistic creation. His painting exalts the silence to the best of his pictorial technique that reaches a Zen-inspired ecstatic perfection. The world around him is secondary and he does not seek to maintain his notoriety or to identify how his art is appreciated by others.
On September 13, 2017 Christie's sold for $ 4.1M including premium an oil on canvas 140 x 102 cm painted in 1996. This abstract work looks like an explosion of yellow and orange signs over a vermilion background, a gathering of colors rare for Gaitonde which may appear as the ultimate liberation of an incandescent energy.
His technique of superposition of translucent layers applied with a roller had anticipated Richter. A monochrome painting by Gaitonde remains of a great variety by the variations of the light.
1998 is his final creative year. An oil on canvas also 140 x 102 cm in hues of green is an invitation to follow geometric symbols. Four spindles perpendicular one another create halos in a slight bias. One of them directed downward is prolonged by another symbol which opens like a liberation of forces. Four dots generate a virtual inner frame.
Like all the later works by Gaitonde this opus did not receive a title. It was sold for INR 6.6 crores including premium by Christie's on December 11, 2014. It is estimated INR 10 crores equivalent to US $ 1.6M for sale online from Mumbai by AstaGuru, lot 30. The auction closes on March 27. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
Please watch the video shared by AstaGuru.
On September 13, 2017 Christie's sold for $ 4.1M including premium an oil on canvas 140 x 102 cm painted in 1996. This abstract work looks like an explosion of yellow and orange signs over a vermilion background, a gathering of colors rare for Gaitonde which may appear as the ultimate liberation of an incandescent energy.
His technique of superposition of translucent layers applied with a roller had anticipated Richter. A monochrome painting by Gaitonde remains of a great variety by the variations of the light.
1998 is his final creative year. An oil on canvas also 140 x 102 cm in hues of green is an invitation to follow geometric symbols. Four spindles perpendicular one another create halos in a slight bias. One of them directed downward is prolonged by another symbol which opens like a liberation of forces. Four dots generate a virtual inner frame.
Like all the later works by Gaitonde this opus did not receive a title. It was sold for INR 6.6 crores including premium by Christie's on December 11, 2014. It is estimated INR 10 crores equivalent to US $ 1.6M for sale online from Mumbai by AstaGuru, lot 30. The auction closes on March 27. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
Please watch the video shared by AstaGuru.
