AVINASH CHANDRA (1931-1991)

Avinash Chandra's signature use of bold color and curvaceous form merges a sophisticated understanding of line with capricious and imaginative compositions. Changing his artistic style from structured cubistic compositions and naturalistic landscapes to looser more whimsical displays of color, line and figuration, Chandra began to attract considerable attention in the British art scene. The artist comments that "Mine was an upbringing that taught me to think in straight lines but, perversely, I had to think in circles." Chandra's stylistic musings abruptly came together in November of 1958. The artist recollects that "As I painted I found shapes thrusting upwards like plants or mushrooms, shapes that virtually exploded into life. This convulsive moment stimulated and excited me, and more drawings and paintings magically materialized." (Avinash Chandra, exhibition catalogue, Rose Fried Gallery, New York, October - November 1968)