LOT 43
PARITOSH SEN
B. Bangladesh, 1918 – 2008
Ragini Asavari, 1961
Titled and dated on verso “Ragini Asavari (October 1961)”
Oil on panel
90 x 60 cm
Private Collection, Australia
RM 25,000 – RM 55,000
Paritosh Sen was a painter, illustrator, tutor and writer, who was a part of the world of Indian art, for close to four decades. He was born in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh on Oct 18, 1919 and was a founding member of the Calcutta Group — an art movement established in 1942 which played an important role in ushering modernism into Indian art. Allured by the pages of the Bengali art journal, Prabasi, Sen ran away to Madras, to learn art. Entitled Ragini Asavari, this piece by Sen is represented by a female character (nayika) that charms snakes through her dance or music, using a type of wind instrument. Take a step back to view the artist’s rendition this female form and the coiled snake before her, evidently captivated.