MAQBOOL FIDA HUSAIN (B. 1915)

Husain's horses have become a central part of his oeuvre since his first representation of the animal in 1951. His inspiration to paint horses was a combination of his trip to China where he studied Sung pottery horses and his interaction with the equestrian sculptures of the contemporary Italian artist Marino Marini. Husain's horses are not plastic forms treated to stylistic variations; rather, they are sensuous creatures that have become personal symbols resonating with archetypes.

Husain uses the horse motif over and over again to explore the joy of painting a familiar subject. His horses are nearly always rampant or galloping, and their strong heads, delicate feet and dilated nostrils are expressed in blocks of color propelled by strokes of the brush or sweeps of the palette knife.