VASUDEO S. GAITONDE (1924-2001)

"A painting is simply a painting - a play of light and colour [...and...] has a seed which germinates in the next painting [...which...] is not limited to one canvas. I go on adding an element and that's how it evolves [...]. There is a kind of metamorphosis in every canvas and the metamorphosis never ends." (M. Menezes, 'The Meditative Brushstroke,' Art India, Mumbai, Volume III, Issue III, July - September 1998, p. 69)

Characteristic of Gaitonde's meticulous technique, the artist has created a space of calm contemplation via refracting, translucent planes: eliminating many of the components traditionally associated with painting in order to focus on the essence of the work. This painting comprises monochromatic tones which ebb and flow across its horizontal surface, possibly reflecting the artist's interest in American Abstract Expressionism at the height of its development. This work displays the artist's characteristic paring down of painting to its most essential elements via a shimmering, uncluttered composition which inspires meditative consideration. Through the layering of texture, the use of thick lugubrious pigment, the artist has arrived at the most serene image of undulating water in catching little, flickering lights on its surface against a dusky horizon.