Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1915-2011) Untitled (Horse)

Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1915-2011) Untitled (Horse) singed 'Husain 91' lower left acrylic on canvas, framed 121 x 75.5cm (47 5/8 x 29 3/4in). Footnotes: Provenance Property from a private collection, England. Acquired from the artist in 2007. Arabic Qur'anic Reflection No. 465. Āyat 2:21 – The Help of Allah is Near مَتىَ‏ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ Matā nasrullahi alā inna nasrallāhi qarīb 'When will Allah's help come?' Behold! Allah's help is indeed near! (Surat al-Baqarah 2, Āyat 214) Roman Matā nasrullahi alā inna nasrallāhi qarīb English With the help of Allah, victory is near. Throughout his career, Husain repeatedly depicted horses in his works. The horses are wild, symbols of power and raw energy. 'The horses are rampant or galloping; the manes, the fury, the working buttocks, the prancing legs, and the strong neighing heads with dilated nostrils are blocks of colour which are vivid or tactile or are propelled in their significant progression by strokes of the brush or sweeps of the palette knife. The activity depicted is transformed in the activity of paint.' (E. Alkazi, M. F. Husain The Modern Artist and Tradition , New Delhi, 1978, p. 3). This work from 1991 immortalizes the famed white horse (Duldul) of Imam Husayn ibn Ali, the grandchild of the Prophet Mohammed, whose martyrdom at Karbala in 680 CE is commemorated during the annual mourning ceremonies of Muharram. Ambushed by a neighbouring general, Husayn and his companions were brutally attacked, showered with arrows, and ultimately decapitated. Every year, an elaborately decorated wooden horse on a mounted frame is paraded through the streets of Muslim communities, symbolizing Imam Husayn ibn Ali's empty mount. In 1965, Husain visited Iraq and made a pilgrimage to Karbala, to witness the battleground upon which Imam Husayn fell. This was a time of deep spiritual confusion for Husain, and during the mid to late 1960's, as Daniel Herwitz notes, Husain's 'horses now appear riderless, without the accompanying light-bodied female figures, and are frequently transfixed by arrows.' (Daniel Herwitz, Husain, Bombay, 1988, p.48) The present work dating from 1991 encapsulates all of Husain's influences. It is painted in a manner that is reminiscent of a puppet or wooden effigy and yet its colour can also be seen to be akin to that of the terracotta horses that he first came across on his visit to China in 1952. Stylistically, it is painted using both a palette knife and a brush with a European cubist approach. The horses' forelegs are in mid-stride, as if it is ready to jump out of the canvas. and its powerful neck is turned across its broad right flank with its neighing mouth baring teeth. The typical black brush strokes used to paint the horse adds to the aggression of the horse, heighted by the potent red which dominates the background. The maroon which forms the border contrasts with the red directly behind the horse, perhaps reflecting the blood that was shed during the battle of Karbala. The blue which forms the lower background is likely meant to represent the Euphrates River; Husayn and his companions were denied access to it, and Husayn was killed by an arrow when he went to the river to drink. The work is surmounted with the Qur'anic reflection, 'with the help of Allah, victory is near,' which illustrates Husain's ability to educate and entertain his viewers simultaneously. The work is an ode to horses and their symbolism which transcends cultures. 'My horses like lightning, cut across many horizons. Seldom their hooves are shown. They hop around the spaces. From the battlefield of 'Karbala' to Baukura terra cota, from the Chinese Tse pei Hung horse to St. Marco horse, from ornate armoured 'Duldul' to challenging white of 'Ashwamedh' .... the cavalcade of my horses is multidimensional.' ( Husain , Tata Steel Publications, 1987, p. 83) This work is similar to Ya Hofizo /Golden Horse, which Husain painted and donated to The Children's Hope Foundation to support their work helping the victims of the 2010 Pakistani floods. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com