Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1915-2011) Mother-VMaqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1915-2011)Mother-V printed Chinese signature upper left and signed and edition 16/100 versohand painted in silk screen203.5 x 101.5cm (80 1/8 x 39 15/16in).CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF THE PROGRESSIVE ARTISTSProvenanceArcher Graphic Studio, Ahmedabad. These works come from Husain's Chinese scroll series that he created between 2005-2009. They are a set of 29 large-scale serigraphs featuring two of his iconic themes, Mother Teresa and horses. Husain painted them, after which they were developed into silkscreens and were mounted onto black scrolls so that they could be hung like traditional Asian paintings. The series which included 18 and 11 prints of Mother Teresa and horses respectively, debuted as a complete collection in an exhibition that travelled to Dubai, Singapore, Beijing and Shanghai.In this series, Husain is paying homage to both East Asian artists and Mother Teresa. It was in 1952 that Husain visited China and was struck by ancient Chinese pottery and paintings, in particular that of the Sung dynasty renderings of horses and by the works of Xu Beihong. The dramatic monochromatic lines had the deftness of certainty yet also the fluidity of motion. Husain remained fascinated with the subject throughout his life, his early encounter with a horse being in his childhood when he saw the procession to mourn and commemorate the Prophet's grandson, Husayn ibn Ali, when an effigy of Husayn ibn Ali's horse was carried through the streets. As Husain has best surmised 'My horses, like lightening, cut across many horizons, hop across spaces, from the battlefield of Kerbala to Bankura terracotta, from the Chinese Tse Pei Hung horse to St Marco's horse, from the ornate armoured Duldul to the challenging white of Ashvamedha...the cavalcade of my horse is multidimensional.' (M.F Husain, 1987)Husain's first encounter with Mother Teresa was in 1979, when he met her at Delhi airport. She left a deep impression on him and become one of his most famous protagonists. The theme of motherhood was close to Husain's heart having felt the absence of his own mother, who died whilst he was an infant. Mother Teresa therefore represents ideal motherhood, nourishment, empathy and strength, however she is always painted without a face, as if to represent all mothers. The children are often seen clinging to her arms and clothes, a closeness that Husain wished he had with his own mother.