Tyeb Mehta discovered the power of the diagonal in 1969 by accident when he picked up a brush, loaded it with black paint, and struck out at the painting on his easel after frustration of being unable to reinvent his art. Struck by the diagonal’s dynamism, Mehta made it a key device in his paintings. In the present painting, the red diagonal acts as a sword, dividing a seated figure from other elements of its consciousness, or from other presences within its lifeworld.
published references
Singh, Kishore, ed., Tyeb Mehta | Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art (New Delhi: DAG, 2019), cover page, pp. 4, 7, 46 Singh, Kishore, ed., Navrasa: The Nine Emotions of Art (New Delhi: DAG, 2020), pp. 114-15, 116
Tyeb Mehta
Diagonal Series
1972
Oil on canvas
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Tyeb Mehta
Diagonal Series
1972
Oil on canvas
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