G. Sudarshan (B. Unknown) Untitled (Village Maids) signed 'G. Sudarshan' lower right tempera on paper laid to board, framed 24.7 x 20.4cm (9 3/4 x 8 1/16in). Footnotes: Provenance Property from a private collection, UK. This present lot is a highly stylised Indian modernist figurative painting, depicting two women carrying water vessels on their heads amid tropical vegetation. Rendered with elongated limbs, rounded forms and vividly coloured saris, the figures are set within a flattened, decorative landscape. The work's stylistic characteristics, together with the note in French on the recto stating 'Purchased in Calcutta in 1938 at an exhibition of young artists,' suggest that it may tentatively be associated with the younger generation of Calcutta artists active in the 1930s. The painting reflects the changing artistic climate of Calcutta during this period, when younger artists were moving away from both European academic realism and the established romanticism of the Bengal School. Its flattened perspective, strong linear contours, simplified forms and decorative patterning draw on Indian folk and miniature painting traditions, while its vibrant palette and lyrical treatment convey a distinctly modernist sensibility. The inscription provides an important contemporary indication of the painting's place within Calcutta's evolving artistic milieu, at a moment when artists were seeking new approaches to Indian modernism. The formation of the Young Artists' Union in 1931, followed by the Art Rebel Centre in 1933, reflects this broader movement away from both European academic realism and the established Bengal School aesthetic. The present work may thus be situated within this period of experimentation, retaining an engagement with Indian folk and miniature painting traditions while moving beyond the earlier Bengal School vocabulary. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing