Waseem Ahmed (B.1976) Untitled (Contemporary Krishna)

Waseem Ahmed (B.1976) Untitled (Contemporary Krishna) signed 'Waseem Ahmed' in Urdu and dated '2013' lower right watercolour and on pen on paper, framed 40 x 25.5cm (15 3/4 x 10 1/16in). Footnotes: Provenance Property from a private collection, London; Acquired from a private collection, Lahore. 'My use of Krishna in the Krishna Series comes from my time at the National College of Arts. While we were being taught miniature painting techniques Krishna was a common figure in traditional Indian miniature paintings we saw. I also found that there were many love stories of Krishna depicted in the Raga Mala paintings, which is where my inspiration comes from.'(Waseem Ahmed in https://www.saichicago.org/dialogues/waseem-ahmed) Ahmed's works are an amalgamation of Mughal miniature tradition, pop, underground and fantasy art elements. In his Krishna series, he depicts Krishna courting various females. Dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase, he bears the ornamentation one associates with him. The female conversely is wearing modern clothes and glasses. The scene is colourful, yet devoid of colour and traditional yet modern. Therein lies Ahmed's genius. He has managed to marry seemingly disparate art practises and created a unique visual aesthetic. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing