This is a finely rendered and expressive RARE Vintage Mid Century India Asian Modern Painting, watercolor on paper, by esteemed Indian modernist P.B. Surendranath (1931 - 2010.) This work depicts a tranquil pastoral scene in the Nagari Hills of Andhra Pradesh, with several cattle herders and their animals resting under a tall tree. A majestic purple mountain range can be seen in the far distance. Signed: "P.B. Surendranath" in the lower right corner. Additionally, this work is titled, signed and annotated on the verso: "At...Field Nagari Hills...Exhibition...P.B. Surendranath, Madras 34." Approximately 17 3/4 x 24 inches (including matting.) Actual artwork is approximately 10 3/4 x 14 1/2 inches. Very good condition for age, with moderate foxing to the back matting of the artwork (please see photos.) Acquired in San Gabriel Valley, California. Artworks by this important Indian modernist are very rare, and seldom come up for sale. Priced to sell. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique artworks!
About the Artist:
P.B. Surendranath (1931 - 2010)
P. B Surendranath was born in 1931 attended Government College of Art and Crafts, Madras between 1949 and 1954 and studied alongside the likes of C J Anthony Das, A P Santhanaraj, L. Munuswamy under the esteemed D. P. Roy Chowdhury. Between 1954 and 1959, he worked as a freelance journalist and was invited by K C S Paniker to teach Batik at the college. He later became the principal of Government College of Arts and Craft, Kumbakonam and vice-principal of Government College of Arts and Craft, Madras between 1983 and '89. His paintings are in the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Lalit Kala Akademi Collection and National Gallery, Madras.
(Raman, A.S., The Southern Accent, Tamil Nadu Ovia Nunkalai Kuzhu, 2000)
'The contemporary painter in India, like those in Europe and the United States, is on the constant search for new and more engaging medie for self expression. Batik work on clothes and cotton painting through ancient Asian crafts have come in handy once again as new media for picture making.[...] P. B Surendranath is one among them who has made excellent use of these techniques in his recent paintings on cloth. [...] Surendranath's recent paintings in the above media are more or less cubist-abstract. He began as a landscapist in the watercolour medium and is still known for his old techniques.'
(excerpt from Art Trends: A Contemporary Art Bulletin, Volume 3, No. 3, April 1964)
The artist, who was a Principal of Government College of Arts & Crafts, Kumbakonam, has taken part in many one man shows and won many awards, P.B. Surendranath's paintings are on display at Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery in Coimbatore. Surendranath was a contemporary of Paul Raj and studied at the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Madras, which is where Paul Raj studied some years earlier.