Untitled (Farmers)

ANOTHER PROPERTY

Gouache on paper
1952
19 1/2 × 15 1/2 in. (49.5 × 39.4 cm.)

Signed and dated ‘Hebbar / 52’ lower right

This gouache from 1952 remains firmly within the genre of subjects inspired by the everyday world Hebbar witnessed in his daily life and on his travels around India. Three male farmers, outfitted in attire befitting a hot day under the scorching sun, take a break from their physically demanding jobs in the fields to enjoy a few quiet moments of conversation. The expressionistically rendered bales of hay in the background are almost a premonition of the path Hebbar would take later on in his career, where people and narratives were often overtaken by gestural and emotive renderings of nature.
Condition: The paper tones and colours of the original are slightly lighter than the catalogue illustration. Minor vertical tears to the extreme upper edge of the paper, not visible in the catalogue illustration. Minor pinhole visible to the lower left corner and an indentation visible in the centre, between the figure’s feet, partially visible in the catalogue illustration. Further minor abrasions and pigment loss visible within the legs of the two front figures. Not examined out of frame. Overall good condition.