This early work is from a significant period in his artistic career when he was on the threshold of abstractionism. Trying to break away from the formalism of figurative or representative art, Gaitonde continued to explore the limits of his intellectual parameters. The series of drawings and watercolours that he doodled out in this process stand testimony to his persistence towards perfection. The present watercolour is one such exploration of an impassioned artist. It brings forth the mental-graph of Gaitonde that demonstrates his ingenuity in determining forms from the immediate surroundings. With these he juggled like a magician in an intricate game of light and shade, played onto varied planes and dimensions. The planes gradually took shapes of symmetric patterns that he laid out onto his canvases in the later years. This work is the crucial stepping stone, the missing link of a puzzle that eventually led the artist to the alter of his creative zenith.

“This watercolour on paper depicts the artist’s mind. I feel the artist has expanded his horizon above & beyond the two dimensions. The painting appears heavy toward the lower half & the form used in this area unarguably suggests a solid form floating in space. It shows a wide angle distortion of this form-indirectly suggesting a craving to find more space in a visually seen void. This has been balanced on the top with a similar parallel form, anxious to imitate the lower one. The flow & force of the lines are in the same direction. The subtle haloes in the background render a mystic feel to the painting. The border left on all sides, the signature & date in Devanagari script & more off the small spots & tiny lines of lighter values same as the border colour spell of Gaitonde. Though situated almost at the dead centre the small vertical line bridges the two forms of different dimensions. This itself acts as a signature of a genius who has understood the values of dimensions”. (Professor Vishwas Yande Former Head of Department - Drawing & Painting - Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, 24th May 2006)