Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art
Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art
Property of a Reputed International Collector
Gauri #1
Auction Closed
October 26, 03:08 PM GMT
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property of a Reputed International Collector
Subodh Gupta
b. 1964
Gauri #1
Oil and cow dung on canvas
Signed, dated, titled and inscribed 'SUBODH GUPTA / 2000 / "GAURI #1" / OIL ON COW DUNG ON CANVAS' and further signed in Devanagari all on the reverse
167.5 x 229 cm. (65 ⅞ x 90 ⅛ in.)
Executed in 2000
“Shit is shit, but belief changes it into something else, it becomes something holy in this part of the world.”
- Subodh Gupta
(G. Adam, 'Subodh Gupta – Everything is Inside, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi – review', Financial Times, 12 February 2014, https://www.ft.com/content/3d6279b6-93d0-11e3-a0e1-00144feab7de)
Painted in 2000, Gauri #1 is a rare and early work in Subodh Gupta's œuvre that incorporates the medium that launched the artist to fame: cow dung. The year before, the artist conceived Pure, a seminal performance-video work in which the artist is covered in cow manure and shown slowly hosing himself. “Where I grew up, cow dung was used for spiritual cleansing, something no longer believed in the city.” (ibid)
In Gauri #1, the artist applies cow dung liberally to the canvas, forming a striking ground upon which stands a cow, rendered in almost photo-realistic style. The title Gauri, an auspicious name, establishes a connection to the Hindu deity Parvati whose vahana or animal vehicle is the sacred cow. Through the subject matter, medium and vast scale, Gupta elevates this revered animal into the sphere of Contemporary art.