KRISHEN KHANNA (B. 1925)

“In January 1953, with their four month old daughter Rasika, Krishen and Renu moved to Madras. It was to be a period of personal contentment and greater lyricism than Krishen had ever expressed before in painting. The reasons for this were rooted in the city of Madras and in Krishen’s own temperament. Working in Grindlay’s in Madras had an even, calm rhythm, matched by the slow social tempo of the city. […] The Madras paintings, with a series of nudes, represent the most lyrical and erotic phase of his work. Krishen reacted to the colours of Madras, the strong nearly white light, the dark brown-bodied figures, especially of migrant labour that was pouring into the city, the frequent sight of hawkers selling fruit. The young girl, her body baked brown in the sun, bearing an erotically suggestive fruit basket, the nude with vivid flowers in her hair were all frequent preoccupations.” (G. Sinha, Krishen Khanna: A Critical Biography, New Delhi, 2001, pp. 48-49)