Pencil and crayon on paper

66.7 × 100.9 cm. × 4  26 1/4×39 3/4 in. × 4

Signed in English on bottom right of the fourth panel
PROVENANCE
13 Mar 2008, Saffronart Mumbai Spring Auction, Lot 115
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the above

Questing for the Essence
Chaturvedi's Contemporary Fable

Born in 1981 in Varanasi, India, Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi graduated with a master's degree from the University of Lucknow in 2005. Chaturvedi is the recipient of the All India Fine Art and Craft Society Award in 2004 and the All India Award from the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India in 2006. His works have been widely exhibited in India, Hong Kong, South Korea, and beyond. Chaturvedi often portrays anthropomorphic creatures in vibrant costumes, inviting contemplation on humanity's place in the era of rapid technological advancement. His signature "polyptych" works, akin to a dramatic jigsaw puzzle, are exemplified in the presented piece, Scarecrow.

A Thought-Provoking Collision of Technology and Humanity

In this artwork, Chaturvedi skillfully employs vivid colours and exaggerated forms to juxtapose a mechanical and skeletal human figure with an inanimate scarecrow. The human figure, despite dressed in bright everyday attire, is depicted with contrasting exposed bones and pieced together with patches and screws; the scarecrow, on the other hand, appears to possess a personal consciousness and emotions, dancing leisurely in the wind.

Completed in 2007, amidst the global surge in technological development, the coldness of the robotic human figure symbolises the spiritual emptiness and identity crisis faced by individuals in a rapidly evolving society. The simplicity and spontaneity of the scarecrow, a symbol of traditional agrarian society, reflects the artist's longing for a return to the essence. The dual subversion of objectified human bodies and anthropomorphised objects poses a strike at the viewers' heart - inviting them to seek a balance between contemporary technology and humanity. The quadriptych technique not only adds visual interest but also mirrors the challenge of finding "the complete self" in the fragmented information age.

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