Prodosh Das Gupta's retrospective show

Posted on 30 October 2008 by Shilpa Abraham| 0 comment

Kumar Gallery presents retrospective show of celebrated sculptor Prodosh Das Gupta’s art spanning five decades

New Delhi: Kumar Gallery presents a retrospective show of sculptures and drawings spanning five decades (1940’s to 1990’s) by celebrated artist Prodosh Das Gupta from November 1, 2008 to November 15, 2008 at Kumar Gallery, Sunder Nagar, New Delhi .

A founder-member of the famous Calcutta Group (whose last living legend Paritosh Sen passed away last week), Prodosh Das Gupta brought the self-conscious individuality of a modern artist into sculpture. His love of the body- of man, woman or trees - links his work with the great tradition of Indian sculpture.

Says Virendra Kumar Jain, Founder Director, Kumar Gallery: “A creative artist can’t be held in bondage and Prodosh Das Gupta was no different in spirit from a freedom fighter. He inaugurated the new contemporary period of Indian sculpture. Though a great admirer of the concepts propounded by master sculptors in Europe , yet he was deeply rooted in the fibre of Indian philosophy. He was a profound scholar, educationist, poet and musician, writer on art and aesthetics. Till he passed away, he aspired for his work to achieve its true dimension. Kumar Gallery is also publishing a comprehensive book on the artist which will be available in the market as a limited edition copy.”

Prodosh Das Gupta was born in 1912 in Dhaka, now in and graduated from Calcutta University in 1932. Under the manifesto of ‘Art should be international and interdependent’ he co-founded the famed CALCUTTA GROUP in 1943. The other members of the group were Rathin Mitra, Prankrishan Pal, Sunil Madhav Sen, Nirode Mazumdar, Paritosh Sen, Kamla Das Gupta, Gobardhan Ash, Subho Tagore, Hemant Misra and Gopal Ghose. Although their individual stylistic approaches varied, they shared an innovative outlook and felt the need to enter the mainstream of world art, shaking off the tradition that no longer inspired them. The group chose to break away from the fashionable academic style in vogue at that time.

Prodosh Das Gupta was also the leading sculptor of the Calcutta Group which held its first exhibition in 1943-1944. Considered as one of the prominent pioneers who emerged at the juncture of ’s Independence , Prodosh Das Gupta reacted strongly against the decay that had set in modern life despite mankind's great achievements in the field of technology. Prodosh was not fooled by outer glitter. On the contrary, he had the power to contemplate, and be struck hard by the awesome surrounding universe, and had no wish to conquer it. His works represent love, the humane values and affection for fellow men. He built his sculptural forms through the modeling technique, i.e., using clay or plaster, but the resulting effect was ‘lithic’, that is as if they are carved from a stone block maintaining  the essential  simplicity of the human form and scooping out just what is redundant.

His studies in Paris gave his figures a romantic touch. However, his return to in 1940, added new shape and significance to these myriad influences. His depiction of the horrors of the World War II and the Bengal famine of 1943 made an impact in the second phase of his career. Over a period of time, however, there crept in doubts about the emotional excesses and probable sentimentalism in these works. In his own words, “this led me to change my methods of treatment of material to a more restrained order of basic forms, often instilled with and integrated to themes from everyday life.”

The years 1946 to 1950 were the most crucial years of his career during which he had to struggle to break free from the methods and techniques of pure academia that were ingrained within him. The young Das Gupta, having recognised the basic truth about organic form both from his Indian roots as well as from the great masters who inspired him, tried to instil the same philosophy and formal quality into his own work. It was during this period that some of his best-known works, such as Head & Torso, Toilet, First Born, and Pounding Corn took birth. His dabbling in abstraction began in his early years with works like Twisted Form (bronze), Cactus Family, Volume in Three Masses, Symphony in Curves (Cement).

His Suryamukhi is one of the most power packed epitome of his entire sculptural oeuvre. It suggests the posture of a reclining figure of a woman in a mass of solid heavy form. Though realistic in approach, the artist has taken liberty in exaggerating her body parts with a relatively large pair of breasts. The placement of the feet, the mass cut away in between to create a gaping arch, the torso too, a play of spheres and arches, defining breasts and arms, the  head flattened from the top, compressed into the body to eliminate the possibility of a neck, together look probable of a wait in anticipation. The resulting posture is suggestive of ‘birth-giving’. It has the connotation of the potential fertile soil absorbing energy from the sun’s heat so as to fructify. The fullness reminds of early Indian stone sculptures of feminine forms from the Mauryan and Sunga periods (such as from Barhut and Sanchi stupas of the second and first century  B.C.).

In his paper ink drawings, he would be light as a bird on wings; he also enjoyed the various textures of a material quite as a painter may. At the best of moments Prodosh  delights us, especially in curvilinear and ovoid forms. In his figurative and ink drawings, Prodosh has been able to reveal the energy in the human figure by his own unique emphases, stresses and gestures. It is how some of his works become impressive, powerful and moving, like the Woman and Child series. Among the artist's other foremost works are the Egg Dance or the Egg Family where the figures symbolizes the human warmth and closeness. The Lying Amazon (1990) works out the form of 'superwoman', and which in effect is certainly most commanding.

Challenging this lengthy and arduous process of sculpture making, Prodosh also conveys his views in terms of Instant Expressionism. To quote Prodosh Das Gupta (text taken from the catalogue of One-man show, Dec 1979,Taj Art Gallery, Bombay): “In my recent experiments in sculpture, through a chance happening I hit upon the idea of making Instant Sculpture in a matter of a few minutes or even seconds. I made it a point to keep my mind blank and thus have the intuitive approach instead of the intellectual, by way of playing with a lump of clay without having any preconceived notion. In the process of the action ― squeezing, twisting, rolling, flattening, pinching etc. suddenly a beautiful form emerges, sometimes in a very realistic fashion, sometimes in a near-abstract form giving certain clues of verisimilitude ― a composition with human, animal or bird form. The interplay of gliding forms, one merging into another or one emerging from the other creates a sense of rhythm.”

Art Konsult presents Atul Sinha’s functional sculptures in ‘Space Beyond Innovation’

Posted on 30 October 2008 by Shilpa Abraham| 0 comment

Art Konsult presents Atul Sinha: Space Beyond Innovation, a solo exhibition of wood sculptures by young and promising artist Atul Sinha from October 21, 2008 to November 10, 2008 at Art Konsult, 23, Hauz Khas Village , New Delhi .               

Atul Sinha is an accomplished and innovative artist who is adept at ceramics, glass etchings, wood, bronze and papier mache sculptures and has painted in oils, acrylics, gouache, water colour and inks, even using kerosene and diesel in his early works. His capacity to use different materials has given him a rare insight into blending matter with aesthetics. His forte, however, is sculpture and what makes him stand out in the crowd of young artists pursuing all sorts of fads is the fact that he has consistently been producing ‘sculpture for use’.

Says Siddharth Tagore, Director, Art Konsult, “The beauty of Atul Sinha’s sculptures lies in that he does not mass produce and each sculpture becomes unique in that sense. His sculptures can be used as tables, chairs, racks and lamps but they remain sculptures and one understands their aesthetic essence better by coming into contact with them. He has been able to transcend the fine line between art and design and the current exhibition showcases how successful he has been in this endeavor.”

While some art experts have criticized the utilitarian concept of art, Atul Sinha continues to seek gratification in the utility aspect of his sculptures. Explains the artist, “When I start working on a sculpture, I only attempt to collate my expeditions and artistic capabilities into three-dimensional figures. But on the same hand, I don’t object when my buyers decide to make use of it. My studio is not a factory which makes multiple copies of one entity. Each work has an identity of its own and is just like any other piece of art.”

Inspired by his diverse travels, from the stark landscapes of Spiti Valley , Leh and Ladakh, the deserts of Jaisalmer to the hills of Uttarakhand, Atul Sinha brings out the best in wood, gently nudging it into shapes that evoke recognition of images from those lands.  

His work Together & Forever, showcasing the face of a couple from the hills, is symbolic of man-woman relationship which is the essence of life. Similarly, Embrace shows a couple holding hands signifying the recognition of the self & human form. Nostalgia of Infinite is a boat that highlights a man’s craving to travel to distant places. Each sculpture denotes a feeling of harmony and peace and brings out the synergy between positive and negative spaces.

The concept of utility-in-art goes back to the Bauhaus artists of Pre-World War II Germany who saw no reason why goods for use should not be aesthetically good as well. They were the forerunners of the concept of designer products and what we call lifestyle today. Atul Sinha has gone beyond them by blending aesthetics and use in such a way that art doesn’t become design.

Atul’s ceramic bottles are collector’s pieces today, his lighted sculpture is in The National Gallery of Modern Art , and sculptures for use are in the collection of the Village Gallery, Gallery Ganesha, Arushi Arts, Delhi Art Gallery, Art Konsult, Rahul Art, CIMA and the Kumar Gallery, to name only a few. Apart from the gallery collections, collectors from , , , , , and have bought his works over the years. It is interesting that his major collectors are all who are known to interest themselves in original and innovative art.

His present exhibition reflects not only the aspect of learning the qualities of a work of art through using it, but also his insight into three-dimensionality and the integration of light and shadow, positive and negative space in it to create a unique environment around each work. That is why his work is best looked at by moving round it and observing its changing forms from different angles. To make this process more engrossing, Atul says, “I have evolved a repertoire of multiple textures, levels of treatment of the layers and grain of wood and figurative elements as diacritical marks to guide the viewer along the way.”

Adds Siddharth Tagore, “This exhibition of sculptures reflects the self confidence we have today in our expression and its relevance to the future. The works reflect not only innovativeness and originality, but also the remarkable continuity that the sculptor has shown, which is important for an artist to be worth collecting and investing in.”

These qualities of Atul’s have been recognized, as a result of which his art is known and respected among a wide range of connoisseurs and collectors. It is also an advance on his earlier work, involving many more elements that are marshaled together to give us a complex picture of life in a framework of space that is structured and yet in motion; of three dimensionality that becomes a two-dimensional concept; and of touch and feeling awakening to new areas of visual experience in the viewer. At the same time his art is iconic without being reverential, figurative without being topical and infused with liveliness without being gimmicky. This is why it has a future and a place in the ongoing saga of our contemporary art.

Delhi Art Gallery presents Frame.Figure.Field

Posted on 30 October 2008 by Shilpa Abraham| 0 comment

Delhi Art Gallery presents a blend of 20th century Modern & Contemporary Art practices in Frame.Figure.Field

New Delhi , October 17: Delhi Art Gallery hosted a cocktail preview of Frame. Figure. Field; a group show of an eclectic collection of artworks by twenty-two artists at Delhi Art Gallery , 11 Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi . The show highlighted some of the pictorial propositions manifested in the 20th century Modern Indian painting and its overlapping with contemporary art practice. The exhibition which was accompanied with a well illustrated catalogue with essays by art critic and independent curator Roobina Karode will continue till November 20, 2008.

The participating artists include Shobha Broota, Avinash Chandra, Amitava Das, C Douglas, Shanti Dave, Jaya Ganguly, Sheela Gowda, Satish Gujral, M F Husain, P Khemraj, Ambadas Khobragade, Sovan Kumar, Altaf Mohammedi, Rabin Mondal, Gogi Saroj Pal, Sohan Qadri, G R Santosh, Paritosh Sen, Nataraj Sharma, F N Souza, Vivan Sundaram and Vasudha Thozhur.

Said Ashish Anand, Director, Delhi Art Gallery : “The exhibition highlights the constant challenge for the medium of painting in present times to reinvent itself and reconfigure meaningful equations between the frame, figure and the pictorial field. It emphasizes on the co-existence of a range of options with artists, especially from the 1970s onwards.”

The works in the exhibition embody radical acts performed by artists within the pictorial frame or field. The purpose of exhibition is not to display brilliant rendering and drafting skills but to attempt the shaping of a personal language that translates formal, conceptual as well as thematic concerns into creative expression. The show brings together expertise of artists from different generations and different regions. For instance, while veteran artist Ambadas Khobragade brings out non-representational genre on canvas, young artist Sovan Kumar utilizes the truck as the main motif for a tongue-in-check portrayal of the destruction of the rural life. Late artist P. Khemraj ploughs the vast terrain of his canvas titled Charpai that communicates depth, surface, illusion, movement and mystery within the medium of painting. Veteran artist Satish Gujral blurs the divide between painting and sculpture through his architectonic sculptural piece meant to be hung on the wall in the manner of painting. Yet another veteran artist Sohan Qadri makes use of challenging techniques in painting. He allows the colour to percolate through the thick hand-made paper he paints on, allowing forms to develop on the other side that he then textures by tearing and blending the surface.

Looking at the works of some women artists, one experiences an extremely vivid response to space, articulated through feelings of nostalgia, claustrophobia or longing. In Gogi Saroj Pal’s paintings, woman’s desire vis-à-vis prescribed societal roles is scrutinized quite persistently. Often her female figures acquire wings or extra limbs, expressing unspoken desires or predicament. In Valley of Flowers , Gogi has transformed the pictorial space into dreamy landscape, the crimson colour representing both the earth and sky in which the female protagonist appears in effortless flight. Acquiring cloud-like wings, her airborne body moves gracefully above the infinite landscape that carries no mark of place or people. While Gogi revels in the openness of the imaginative landscape, Vasudha Thozhur’s jigsaw composition in Still Life with Cat and Bananas presents an unsorted view of life. The crowded spaces of memories and imagination reveal conflicting emotions of desire and dilemma, joy and dread with symbols of fecundity and nurture scattered all over. Inventing ripped anatomies, Jaya Ganguly’s audacious display of disarticulations on the female form symbolizes an inquiry into the ‘unspoken’ depths that engulf a woman’s life. The female body here is not merely a form but bearer of pain, conflict and stressful situations. The ugliness of decadent female flesh represents the body as a speaking subject rather than an object of male gaze.  Artist Shobha Broota, one of the strong feminine artists of Indian abstraction, uses the very basic geometric forms to visualize the unseen and links soul, body and mind in their abstract renditions.

Thus, these artists formulate an interesting mix, especially the ones who have now embraced other media and formats, using computer generated imagery, organic and recycled materials and the sculptural-installation format.  This is surely an opportunity to see the early works of Vivan Sundaram, Shanti Dave, Sheela Gowda and some relatively recent works by Nataraj Sharma, Sovan Kumar and Jaya Ganguly.

While artists in present times move on to explore and master new media and formats in their art practice, using the video, photograph and site-specific installations, the medium of painting faces a constant challenge to reinvent itself and reconfigure meaningful equations between the frame, figure, and the pictorial field.

Therefore, this group show at Delhi Art Gallery was well worth a visit!

Watercolours by Jiaur Rahman

Posted on 19 October 2008 by Jiaur Rahman| 0 comment

Title: Tribal Dance
Medium: Watercolour On Paper
Size: 14X9 Inches
Year: 2008


I have always been captivated by the study of nature and the people around me. They inspire me to capture their essence on canvas. Whether I create a painting like a riverside, a villageside, a country-side or a cityscape, it is for me all images of nature and it’s create through the transparent watercolour medium. I tried to paint all artworks with equal dexterity and capture the inherent mood of the subject, playing with the vital elements of light and shade.

Please visit more my recent watercolour paintings at-     www.indianartcollectors.com/jiaurrahman