Page 13 - Jehangir Sabavala - TheArtsTrust

of joyous colours—as inspirations the week, the teacher was not one for formal
in his work. Throughout his artistic lectures. He would encourage his students to
career, Sabavala continued to count master the technical so they could push the
his time with Lhote as one of the limits of art with their imagination. He would
most transformative. then have the students display their works at
Prior to his study of the exacting the end of the week, and walk through them,
nature of Cubism, Sabavala created critiquing them. In fact, acclaimed modern
a number of self-portraits, looking Indian artists Ram Kumar, Paritosh Sen and
inward for inspiration and giving free Nirode Mazumdar also studied under him.
rein to his romanticism. His works of the Sabavala then moved on to create
time display a certain honesty and much portraits of women, deeply inspired by
of the flair of his personage. Nudes, still- Villon, Gris and Lhote himself, which
lifes and portraits populated his oeuvre of showcased his penchant for colour and
the time. The ‘Reclining Nude’ is evidence the abandon in their usage. ‘Nanette’
of his mastery in conveying emotion. is one such portrait, executed using
While Lhote was initially unwilling to charcoal on paper. Amongst the myriad
admit Sabavala into his academy, the latter portraits he created, the portraits of his
won him over. He was thus able to infuse his wife Shirin, whom he married in 1948,
training in Impressionist paintings into the stand out. Richard Lannoy recalled
A group photograph at Academie Julian, Paris, with Sabavala Cubist practice he learnt from Lhote, which Sabavala’s works of this time, saying
(fifth from the right) and Madame Beldent, the director (seated) in 1949 transformed different planes and celebrated that although the artist’s mind
unity in the contradictory. Although Lhote’s worked swiftly, his skill with the
courses were strictly designed with a model oil medium lagged behind. While
set-up for the students at the beginning of Sabavala absorbed the immensely

Sabavala soon realised that his love by the works of Titian and
for art endured and that led him to enrol at Veronese at the Venetian School’s
the famed Heatherley School of Fine Art, National Gallery. Their command
Sabavala at work in Antibes,
London, in the same year. It was an ideal over colour and glazes would show France, in 1948
learning environment for Sabavala, with its up in his works as well.
collective of visiting professors and their After graduating in 1947,
encouragement of stylistic experimentation. Sabavala made his way to Paris,
During this time, he also met Richard France, where he joined Academie
Lannoy, who would go on to become not Julian and Academie Lhote. He would
only a friend for life but also an established later also join Academie de la Grande
writer, artist and photographer himself. Chaumiere, where he continued to
He also met Shirin Dastur, whom he perfect his technique. Shuffling between
would later marry. During his time at these institutions, this was a time of
Heatherley, the artist was known for immense learning and intensive studying
being extremely proficient in technique for the artist. At Academie Julian, he
and for being self-critical. was trained in the art of Impressionist
This constant critical analysis paintings, while at Atelier Lhote, he learned
helped evolve his artworks throughout the art of Cubism, a revolutionary style for
his career. Among his many the time. (André Lhote himself had been a
inspirations of the time, the most student of Spanish Cubist master Juan Gris.)
notable were the El Greco paintings Sabavala, impacted by the interplay of light
he saw in Spanish galleries as and structure present in Cubism, would count
they amalgamated mysticism and Gris’ distinct colours and aloof temperament—
sensuality. He was also fascinated as well as his contemporary Jacques Villon’s use

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