In the style of Abdur Rahman Chughtai (1897-1975) Chughtai's Indian Paintings text and thirty five plates in all twenty seven in colours and the rest in monochromes 39.6 x 30.9cm (15 9/16 x 12 3/16in). Footnotes: Provenance Property from a private collection, UK. Published by Dhoomi Mal Dharam Das, New Delhi, in 1951, Chughtai's Indian Paintings is an important and beautifully produced volume devoted to one of the most distinctive voices of the Lahore School. With a foreword by Dr Tara Chand and an introduction and notes by Principal S. Kashmira Singh, the book contains thirty-five full-page plates, twenty-seven reproduced in colour and the remainder in monochrome, each accompanied by tissue guards carrying extensive commentary. Several of the paintings were specially created by Chughtai for the publication, making the volume more than a retrospective record: it represents a considered statement of his artistic vision. Among its most evocative images is Gloomy Radha, reproduced on the cover, its melancholic heroine embodying Chughtai's enduring fascination with the poetic and romantic traditions of Indian mythology. The Bond of Love, centred upon Radha and Krishna, similarly reveals his ability to reinterpret the devotional subject through an intensely lyrical visual language. Other works, including depictions of Holi and Nataraj, demonstrate the breadth of Chughtai's engagement with India's mythological, cultural and literary heritage. His figures are characterised by elongated, elegant forms, delicate contours and an atmosphere of dreamlike suspension, synthesising elements of Mughal and Rajput miniature painting with Art Nouveau elegance and Chughtai's own deeply personal symbolism. The significance of Chughtai's Indian Paintings lies in the way the book itself becomes an extension of the artist's practice. The large elephant-folio format, the tipped-in plates, tissue guards and carefully considered text give the volume the character of a work of art in its own right. It was Chughtai's only book printed in India outside his own private press in Lahore, and was deliberately produced in a format comparable to his earlier publications. The book therefore stands as an important document of Chughtai's attempt to construct a distinctly South Asian modernism, one rooted in the subcontinent's visual and literary traditions, yet entirely removed from mere imitation. Through figures such as Radha, Krishna and Nataraj, Chughtai transforms India's ancient stories into an ethereal, modern visual poetry. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing