Song of Himalaya
signed ‘Bangdel 73’ lower left
Details
- Title : Lain Singh Bangdel (Nepalese, 1919-2002)
- Year : 1919-2002
- Artist : LAIN SINGH BANGDEL
- Classification : Paintings
- Medium : oil on canvas, framed
- Dimension : 60.3 x 76cm (23 3/4 x 29 15/16in)
- Accession No : ITEM 18
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Collection : Bonhams
- Status : AUCTION at BONHAMS London, New Bond Street
- Auction Viewings ( AS PER BONHAMS WEBSITE 11/21/2023) : 11 November 2023, 11:00 - 15:00 GMT 12 November 2023, 11:00 - 15:00 GMT 13 November 2023, 09:00 - 16:30 GMT 14 November 2023, 09:00 - 16:30 GMT 15 November 2023, 09:00 - 16:30 GMT 16 November 2023, 09:00 - 16:30 GMT 17 November 2023, 09:00 - 16:30 GMT 20 November 2023, 09:00 - 16:30 GMT 21 November 2023, 09:00 - 16:30 GMT
- Related Departments at Bonhams : Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art
- Provenance : Property from the Collection of the Bangdel-Shakya Estate, Virginia, USA.
- Footnotes : After returning to Nepal in 1961, Bangdel traveled across the country to better understand his ancestral homeland, its culture, and people. Consequently, Bangdel rediscovered his love for the mountains, which he had felt since his childhood outside Darjeeling. "I've been tremendously influenced by the mountains, the symmetry of the mountains especially. That's why my paintings (mostly abstract) are geometric," explained Bangdel in a 1969 interview. This respect and admiration for the majestic peaks of the Himalayan range manifested in a powerful suite of paintings that harmoniously balance references to high-altitude peaks and passages of abstraction. This painting, in particular, captures a sublime moment when the mountain range's jagged forms pierce through a thick fog. The mountains seem to float, weightlessly, in a sea of white and sky blue. From a distance, viewers can imagine the song Bangdel paints: one of howling winds and rains. As Bangdel increasingly integrated with Nepali society, his mountainscapes can be understood as perpetuating a quiet nationalism, a deep pride for Nepal's rich geographic heritage. Song of the Himalaya embodies this sentiment.
- NOTE (website 11/21/2023) : This work is being auctioned as part of the Modern & Contemporary South Asian sale on 14th November 2023.