Hills of Gold
- Artist: Avinash Chandra
- Date: 1964
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 1016 x 2413 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Hills of Gold” by Avinash Chandra. Painted in 1964, oil on canvas, it’s a striking blend of figure and landscape. The work turns a nude figure into a glowing red hill, with cloud‑like forms swirling around it. In 1965 Chandra became the first Indian‑British artist to show at Tate, and this piece captured that breakthrough. Art historian W. G. Archer notes that Chandra’s use of sexual imagery is never merely provocative; it acts as a symbol of exuberance, resilience, and delight, woven into larger poetic scenes of spires, trees, and stars. Technically, the painting layers bright reds, cadmium oranges, and chrome yellow, building texture with both thin brushes and thick impasto. The surface is unvarnished, giving a subtle sheen that catches the light. The composition invites the viewer to read the figure as both a landscape and a living presence, a visual dialogue between body and earth. It remains a powerful example of mid‑century modernism that blends cultural motifs with bold abstraction.
See it in person
Hills of Gold is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
