Hyderabad: The representation of landscapes existed long before establishing itself as an exclusive art genre in its own right. Capturing mountains, valleys, bodies of water, fields, forests and coastlines from different corners and corners of the world, landscape art familiarized multitudes of people before photography was invented.

Over time, the practice grew and artists traveled to faraway places to bring the exquisite bounty of nature to their audiences. Modern Indian artists have also been heavily inspired to create landscape art from several picturesque locations of the rural and urban spaces that India abounds in. These trips gave them the opportunity to paint their surroundings.

Here are some iconic landscape paintings by Indian modernists that have already been featured in our auctions.

Kashmir Valley by SH Raza

Artist SH Raza has often visited the Kashmir Valley. It was here that he met the famous French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson who encouraged him to go to Paris to expand his artistic canvas. This work titled “Kashmir Valley” from the year 1949 was inspired by the beauty of the state often referred to as “Heaven on Earth”. The work belongs to the first years of Raza’s career.

Rajasthan by SH Raza

This intense work titled “Rajasthan” was created by artist SH Raza and reflects his inspirations from the miniature era of Rajasthan. Created in 1975 while the artist was in the United States, the work answered her ardent desire for her roots. The theme of Rajasthan sings an important and determining stage in the work of the artists.

Kopai River by Ramkinkar Baij

The work titled “River Kopai” testifies to Ramkinkar Baij’s deep love and affinity for the landscapes around Santiniketan and the people of the Santhal community who lived in the neighboring villages. Executed in 1946, the work depicts the surrounding topography and the dry bed of the Kopai River which passes in front of Santiniketan in West Bengal.

Blue Ganges by MF Husain

In this work entitled “Blue Ganges”, MF Husain captures the mystique of the Ganges of the Ganges in the holy city of Benares. The sensation of density of the ghats and their unique geological relief is well established. The numbers in the photo frame feature a sense of momentum with impasto strokes. MF first visited Benares in the 1960s.

Passage Sasser by Nicholas Roerich

Roerich’s association with India began during his childhood when he came across a portrait of a majestic mountain range that fascinated him. Deeply inspired by the picturesque landscapes, Roerich painted over seven thousand paintings of the Himalayan landscapes. Made in the 1920s, this magnificent painting represents a high mountain pass in Ladakh.

Nandalal Forest Bose Takdah

This landscape painting by artist Nandalal Bose depicts the high altitude hamlet of Takdah in the state of West Bengal. The word “Takdah” means mist in the Lepcha language and the artist therefore incorporated an element of mist enveloping the rows of pine trees and deciduous cedars. The work was carried out in 1938.

City IV of Jehangir Sabavala

This work of the year 2004 comes from the ‘City’, series that Jehangir Sabavala conceived at the beginning of the new millennium. The skyscrapers soar with a protruding peculiarity while the spatial surface has been constructed with edgy horizontal proportions. Executed with his redefined cubist technique, the work is a shining example of Sabavala’s artistic glory.

Sneha Gautam
Vice-President – Client Relations

AstaGuru, Auction House

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