Untitled (Lady)

Medium:Mixed Media
Height:14 inch / 35.6 cm
Width:10 inch / 25.4 cm
Dimension:W: 25.4 cm × H: 35.6 cm

“Untitled Expression” by Rabin Mondal (1985) — A powerful expressionist portrait echoing emotional depth and inner struggle, marked by bold brushwork and evocative color tones.

48,000.00

Description

Rabin Mondal | Untitled | Mixed Media on Paper | 14 x 10 inches | 1985 (Unframed & Delivered)

This emotionally charged painting, created by Rabin Mondal and dated 2nd August 1985, powerfully reflects the anguish and inner turmoil often found in his expressionist style. The figure—rendered in bold, dramatic strokes of black, red, and blue—appears solemn and introspective, with a hand placed over the chest suggesting vulnerability, pain, or deep emotional resonance. The asymmetrical face, stark eyes, and distorted form are characteristic of Mondal’s exploration of psychological tension, social isolation, and existential anxiety, themes central to his oeuvre.

The use of deep red evokes passion or suffering, while the blue hues on the face suggest a sense of melancholy. The piece feels almost confrontational in its raw intensity, making it a poignant example of Rabin Mondal’s contribution to modern Indian expressionism.

Rabin Mondal was inspired by primitive and tribal art, its potent simplifications and raw energy.
The son of a mechanical draughtsman, Rabin Mondal took to drawing and painting at the age of twelve when he injured his knee and was confined to bed.
The Bengal famine of 1943 and the Calcutta communal riots of 1946 deeply impacted his psyche; he joined the Communist Party and became an activist. Mondal’s final refuge was art as the ultimate weapon of protest.
Mondal’s figuration derived from a growing abhorrence towards mankind’s moral decay in all spheres of life. The cubo-futuristic angularities of forms within the pictorial space arranged around them evolved into a series of paintings depicting highly distinct human figures that struggled to live a hero’s life in a mocking but tragic world.
Mondal’s images have a deeply felt iconic appearance. The series Queen, King, Man represent figures that are static, totemic, tragicomic, ruthlessly shattered and ruined. Having subverted the classical canons of harmony and beauty, Mondal evolved a vocabulary to express his anguish and rage towards decadence in society. The expressionistic use of splattered colours and the bold application of black are part of that vocabulary.
Beginning his career as an art teacher, with a stint as an art director in films, he was a founder member of Calcutta Painters in 1964, and from 1979-83 a general council member of Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. He passed away in Kolkata on 2 July 2019.

Shipment DetailsThis artwork will be shipped unframed, either in roll form or flat, depending on its requirements—at no additional cost.

If you’d prefer the artwork to arrive ready to hang, please get in touch with us to arrange framing and shipping at applicable charges.

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