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When we think of portraying traumatic events of history through painting, we often wish to communicate it using a visually unsettling image that draws the viewer and does – to whatever degree possible – artistic justice to the event. Beauty, one presumes, bears no immediate relationship to the appalling. For the renowned Indian artist Arpana […]
Arpana Caur: Aesthetics at the Service of Life Read More »
26th August 2023. ON THIS DAY. “My opinions find expression in my creation. I believe that artists are sensors, receptors, and transmitters of ideas in a society and I try to fulfil that role to the best of my ability, even at the cost of winning the ire of those in power.” – Subodh Kerkar
Subodh Kerkar: Dialogues with Gandhi and Oceanic Histories Read More »
A gentlemanly artist with a Dali-esque moustache and an elegant sartorial taste befitting his aristocratic lineage, Jehangir Sabavala was one of India’s most accomplished painters of the 20th century. Born on 23rd August 1922 in the heydays of Indian nationalism, Jehangir belonged to an affluent Parsi and Zoroastrian family, whose sympathies rested with the British
Ache of the Sublime: The Paintings of Jehangir Sabavala Read More »
In an interview with the poet Arundhati Subramanium, the artist Gieve Patel talked about a phrase from Wassily Kandinsky’s book ‘Concerning the Spiritual in Art’ that has informed his artistic practice as a painter and a writer. Kandinsky’s mandate suggests, “Write when you feel an inner need or don’t.” Born on 18th August 1940,
Of Brushes and Poems: The Eclecticism of Gieve Patel Read More »
Portraiture has a unique place in the history of art. By looking at who was portrayed, and how, one is able to gain insights into social, cultural, and political history. Despite the fact that portraiture has been an art form available to us since antiquity, the form really gained prominence during the Renaissance as a
Purveyors of Indian History: The Portraits of Manchershaw F. Pithawalla Read More »
Born in Kolkata in 1939, Sunil Das was an Indian expressionist painter. Coming from a middle-class family, Das decided to be a painter early on in life and refused to join his family business. He enrolled in the Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta in 1955 and later won a French Government Scholarship to
Sunil Das’ Artistic Odyssey: The Spirit of Equine Majesty and Ferocious Bulls Read More »
I become whole when I paint. – Ganesh Pyne Reclusiveness might be a cherished ideal amongst artists and, at times, even a necessity for the creative potential to unleash itself. However, extending it to a point where the artist is reluctant to display the work even to one’s audience is an oddly amusing event. The
Painter of Eloquent Silence: The Dark Surrealism of Ganesh Pyne Read More »
“To choose a human being as a subject comes naturally, and to choose a woman even more naturally because that’s the form I relate to.” – Vasundhara Tewari Broota. Vasundhara Tewari Broota is an Indian painter born in Kolkata in 1955 and moved to New Delhi when she was fifteen. After an initial stint studying law,
Agency of the Female Nude Figure: The Empowering Oeuvre of Vasundhara Tewari Broota Read More »
“My paintings, with their pulsating energy, vibrant colours, and interesting textures, are a homage to the kala (art) of India. They are an ode to memories, to the sights and sounds of the ruins that I saw and absorbed as a child while growing up in Gujarat. Viewers can perceive it in their own manner—it
Pioneering Indian Modernism: The High Relief Encaustic Paintings of Shanti Dave Read More »
One of India’s most renowned ceramic artists, Ray Meeker – an American by birth – was born in California in 1944. Meeker did his BFA in architecture and ceramics from the University of South California during the 1960s when he also met his partner and artist Deborah Smith before both moved to India in 1971.
Shaping Clay and Consciousness: The Artistic Journey of Ray Meeker in India Read More »