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An Uphill Task

visionsart — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 16:40:00 +0000

In his monograph on Manaku, art historian BN Goswamy reconstructs the life and art of the 18th-century Pahari painter

When BN Goswamy introduced us to the complete portfolio of Nainsukh in 1997, the miniature painter from the hills of Punjab was a relatively little-known entity in the contemporary art world. Goswamy’s discerning biographical sketch not only brought him recognition, but also became a handbook for Nainsukh’s work. Two decades later, the art historian has dedicated a publication to Nainsukh’s elder brother, Manaku. Like his sibling, Manaku, too, was a master practitioner, who painted evocative miniatures and carried forward the tradition inherited from their father Pandit Seu, a leading painter in Guler, a small state in the Punjab hills, at the turn of the 18th century. Unlike Nainsukh, who had several patrons, such as Raja Balwant Singh, Manaku is not known to have a specific patron.

“The project is very close to my heart from the very beginning. Manaku was an extraordinary painter,” says Goswamy, 84. He confesses to being partial to Manaku, who is considered more “conservative” than Nainsukh. It was, after all, his Hiranyagarbha, the depiction of the cosmic egg (considered the seed of all creation) in an opaque watercolour, which Goswamy declares as one of the greatest works of Indian art, also included in his 2014 publication The Spirit of Indian Painting: Close Encounters with 101 Great Works, 1100-1900.

The illustration belongs to one of Manaku’s acclaimed folios, the Bhagavata Purana, which the Pahari artist is believed to have painted on the sheer basis of its style. “I am convinced that Manaku moved to the realm of the gods at night, conversed with them as if they were equals, and came back in the mornings,” said Goswamy, during the Delhi launch of the publication titled Manaku of Guler: The Life and Work of Another Great Indian Painter from a Small Hill State.

One of Manaku’s works published in the book

The narrative in the 512-page book begins from where Goswamy’s own research on artistic traditions began in the 1960s. In an article published in the journal Marg in 1968, titled “Pahari Painting: The family as the basis of style”, Goswamy had argued that stylistic differences in Pahari paintings can be better understood if connected to artists’ families rather than only to princely patrons. An important source for him were the genealogical records or registers of visitors maintained by the pandas or priests in Haridwar, Varanasi and Kurukshetra. “I remember going to Haridwar as a child with my father and writing my name in English and misspelling it,” says Goswamy, adding, “But that got me thinking that pahari painters would also have been pilgrims. Pahaad mein kehte hain ki aap jeeteji Haridwar na gaye, toh mar ke aap zaroor jaayenge. (In the mountains, they say, if you didn’t go to Haridwar in your life, you will go there once you’re dead).”

He found one entry for Manaku, in the register of Sardar Ram Rakha, a tirtha purohit in Haridwar. Reproduced in the book, here Manaku notes that he is a native of Guler, a carpenter, son of Seu, and grandson of Hasnu. While this two-line entry is the only text in the hand of Manaku that has survived, Goswamy also presents two portraits of him that are known to exist — both tinted brush drawings; one where Manaku is estimated to be close to 40 years of years, ascribed to Nainsukh, and another from the National Museum collection, where he looks visibly older.

A portrait of Manaku from the book

In the publication, Goswamy chronicles and discusses each work produced by Manaku according to the one anchor for which he has precise dates: the ‘Gita Govinda’ series — based on poet Jayadeva’s 12th-century Sanskrit love lyric — dated 1730. Every known work by the artist has been recorded in the monograph. Among the earliest is the ‘Siege of Lanka’ series, which, Goswamy infers, could have been a continuation of the ‘Ramayan’ series left unfinished by Manaku’s father, which he adopted on a grander scale.

Manaku gave it “a certain naturalism in the treatment of figures and faces”, but never completed it, and the last few folios were brush drawings in black on uncoloured paper (like in the case of the Bhagavata Purana). Goswamy draws similarities between this set and his next, the ‘Gita Govinda’. “There is much in common between these two series; from the broad, red borders and thin rules and the generally neatly inscribed verses in Devanagari at the back, to the flat, monochromatic backgrounds, high horizons, boldly stylised trees and arbitrarily placed curving rims suggestive of planes in the background,” he writes in the book.

Author of over 25 books, Goswamy, however, does not reject conflicting arguments. Instead, a section in the book is dedicated to the writings of other scholars on Manaku. “I am not holding anything back. As an art historian, I feel responsible to present the different sides,” he says.

Written by Vandana Kalra | Published:September 25, 2017

http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/an-uphill-task-bn-goswamy-art-historian-manaku-painter-4859527/

The post An Uphill Task first appeared on Indian Art News.

Artist Manu Parekh on the art market, Rabindranath Tagore, and pop culture

visionsart — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 05:30:00 +0000

Portrait of Gandhi | Credit: Manu Parekh. Courtesy: Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, Aleph Book Company.

Annapurna Garimella: What does it mean to be an artist working in his seventies? You started painting when you were sixteen and have been making art for seven decades. What does making art mean to you today?

Manu Parekh: My first reaction to your question is that I still feel excited. I feel – I can see – that there is space to create many things. As an Indian, in this kind of an environment, there is a great deal of possibilities, a lot of inspiration, as well as a lot of issues.

What do you mean by ‘as an Indian’?

In India, the most interesting thing for me is the Indian mind. If I am a Gujarati, then I will look at things from a Gujarati angle, and so on. But I also feel that I am a popular culture man, influenced especially by the world of Hindi films, from which a person of one culture can learn about other cultures. Moreover, because of my involvement with craft and theatre, I learned about other [Indian] cultures, so I never fully feel that I am only from Gujarat and can only enjoy that. I have been fascinated by people of other states and cultures, and have been fortunate to travel all over India. That is why I used the words ‘as an Indian’.

The other thing, which is a treasure chest, is what is in the rural areas. The sensitivity that is there, even the problems that are there, the ways of making them better, their way of understanding, the relationship between men and women, especially between women; in urban India, there is not much knowledge about this. Interestingly, the popular film feels rich to me – because of the way it has absorbed various influences (especially those from vernacular cultures and rural milieus) – this is the real India [the rural areas]…if one wants to enjoy India.

Portrait of Souza. Credit: Manu Parekh

Perhaps right from your childhood, from the beginning of your interest in art, these things must have felt interesting…but the perspectives or directions that you saw, the fascination you had for village life, for instance, must be different now. You are talking about village life and the fascination it has for you, but that world does not exist anymore. Yes, a village is still a village, but the village has changed. So, what do you think about this? The shifts that happen in an artist’s life, the way Rabindranath Tagore saw a zamindari world and over time his thoughts changed, and then he chose not to participate in Congress-style nationalism but instead he began to bring something of the Santhals who lived in the villages around him into the institution he founded in Santiniketan, and at the same time he was also aiming for and desiring a universal humanism, a very Modernist way of thinking. Souza too started in Mumbai and then went to London and left that and went to New York, then kept returning to a transforming India (Goa too had changed in this time). What has happened to you between age sixteen and the present that has impacted your art and your thinking?

First of all, I am not from a village. I am from Ahmedabad. My connection to the village is through my grandmother who lived near Nadiad, where we went during our summer holidays and through Madhvi, my wife, who is from a village as well.

My father was a barber. The way his hands moved was miraculous, it was craft. He was a great film and theatre buff – he gave this to me as my inheritance. From about age eight, I began to go to the movies with him.

We always bought the lowest priced ticket. Once we went to see Dilip Kumar’s film ‘Shaheed’ and when we reached the window after being in line, it was sold out. My father asked, ‘Shall we sit in line for the next show?’ That was his nature, he was passionate.

When I got the Padma Shri, Dilip Kumar was sitting in front of me in the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. When we came out, and a crowd surrounded him, I stood apart, lost in thought. I was back at Kishan Cinema on the footpath and was thinking about that day with my father. Both he and Madhvi’s father, a Gandhian, whom I knew since I was twelve, have been such big influences in my life. In the days when I went to J. J. [School of Art], there were only two places that attracted me – Paris and Kolkata. I had a huge attraction to these cities; Kolkata because of painting, theatre and Rabindranath Tagore, who I already felt was a great painter. When I reached Kolkata in 1965, and would argue the case for Rabindranath as a great painter, very few would agree or accept – there was a doubt about his status as an artist. Today he is accepted.

Jaswant Thakkar, the great theatre actor, introduced me to Tagore’s Muktadhara, which we staged in Gujarati for Tagore’s birth centenary (I was twenty-five and played the role of eighty-year-old Viswajit). Because of Jaswant Thakkar’s involvement with the Indian People’s Theatre Association, many of its members were very friendly with us; whenever Prithviraj Kapoor or Balraj Sahni came to town, they came to meet us and I have rehearsed in front of both of them. IPTA and its members had a great impact during that period, the Communist Party was not divided and socialist thinking inspired work like Balraj Sahni’s Do Bigha Zameen and the works of Shailendra, Sahir Ludhianvi and Inder Raj Anand (the screenwriter for many of Raj Kapoor’s films).

The dancer. Credit: Manu Parekh

What was the impact of IPTA on your art?

In 1963, I joined the Weavers Service Centre, an initiative of the All-India Handloom Board, under the leadership of Pupul Jayakar. To leave the theatre world and then take up the job – I only ever had one – in craft was the impact of both Gandhian thinking as well as IPTA. To understand the problems of village people…

Are you bothered by the changes in Indian art?

No. When I started making money from painting, people criticized me a great deal. I appreciated that and I used that criticism. Many people never could do substantial work because of which they struggled financially all the time. Because of the changes, I was able to paint full-time.

Excerpted with permission from Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, by Manu Parekh, Aleph Book Company.

The forest. Credit: Manu Parekh. Courtesy: Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, Aleph Book Company.

Portrait of landscape. Credit: Manu Parekh. Courtesy: Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, Aleph Book Company.

The family. Credit: Manu Parekh. Courtesy: Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, Aleph Book Company.

Graffiti of Goddess in wood. Credit: Manu Parekh. Courtesy: Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, Aleph Book Company.

Flower vase in the landscape. Credit: Manu Parekh. Courtesy: Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, Aleph Book Company.

Movement of spirit. Credit: Manu Parekh. Courtesy: Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, Aleph Book Company.

The family IV. Credit: Manu Parekh. Courtesy: Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, Aleph Book Company.

Banares landscape. Credit: Manu Parekh. Courtesy: Manu Parekh: Sixty Years of Selected Works, Aleph Book Company.

Credits : Scroll.in
https://scroll.in/magazine/851409/artist-manu-parekh-on-the-art-market-rabindranath-tagore-and-pop-culture

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First ASEAN-India Artist’s Camp gets underway at Udaipur

visionsart — Sat, 23 Sep 2017 05:11:00 +0000

An ASEAN-India Artist’s Camp has got under way at Udaipur to mark the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue.

The event, which is being organised by the External Affairs Ministry in collaboration with NGO Seher, will run September 21-29 at The Ananta in Udaipur. It was launched in the national capital on Wednesday in the presence of Secretary (East) Preeti Saran.

Work by Mahaveer Swami

A collection of 20 paintings, created extempore, will also be displayed in a special exhibition, which will be inaugurated at the ASEAN-India Summit by Prime Minister Narendra Modu in January 2018 in New Delhi.

By IANS | Published: 22nd September 2017 08:22 PM

http://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/art/2017/sep/22/first-asean-india-artists-camp-gets-underway-at-udaipur-3639.html

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How St+Art Changed The Way People View Street Art In India

visionsart — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 18:00:00 +0000

The urban India we live in today is divided on the era before and after street art. Courtesy of a group of socially responsible young adults who felt like it was their duty to give back to the cities and the inhabitants a sense of creativity and imagination that had never even been up for consideration before. Contemporary art in the country has undergone a perceptional makeover because one foundation decided it was time that art changed the face of the country—not just for outsiders; but, even for the residents of the nation.

© From L to R – Akshat Nauriyal, Content Director, Hanif Kureshi, Art Director, Giulia Ambrogi, Festival Curator, Thanish Thomas, Project Director & Arjun Bahl – Festival Director_ Photography by Naman Saraiya

In 2014, a bunch of artists came together and started a movement; although an understated one at the time, that went on to become an artistic revolution. Thereafter, Indians came to know a form of street art, through the visions and creations of St+Art India; a non-profit organization that has been adding color and creativity to the barren walls and districts of the prominent cities in the country, ever since.

“It all started back in the day when I was shooting a video for one of the first group walls that had happened, in the Hauz Khas lot. The wall was painted by Bond, Daku, Zion and a few more artists. That’s when I got in touch with the street art community,” says Akshat Nauriyal, Content Director & Co-Founder of St+Art India. At the time, Nauriyal used to share a studio with Hanif Kureshi, Art Director & Co-Founder, who in turn, introduced Nauriyal to Arjun Bahl, Festival Director & Co-Founder. Giulia Ambrogi, who at the time had been traveling in the country for an art festival in Khirki, New Delhi as well as to meet some of her Italian artist friends, came on board as the curator at the St+Art festivals. Together, the four of them, along with Thanish Thomas, Project Director & Co-Founder, paved the way for an art form that had previously been as non-existent as the advertisements on the walls.

“The idea was to move away from the elusive nature of the uptight art gallery concepts that the cities have to offer,” Nauriyal tells me. “It’s like a novelty of the rich and elite. Even someone like me feels really suffocated and constricted in an art gallery; like I’ll drop something on the art work. It’s difficult to even breathe; that’s the aura it creates.” At the time, the most one got out of supposed street art was the rather brash political signage and the in-your-face ‘gupt rog’ information that defaced the walls of the cities. What it meant was there was no background to street art and there was no connotation at all like in the West. Because of graffiti culture and vandalism, it earned a rather negative connotation. That’s where the urge stemmed from. Nauriyal reminisces one of the earliest projects they took on under the St+Art India banner, at Shahpur Jat, New Delhi. “We literally went around knocking on people’s walls, asking them if we could do this and they had no idea what we were talking about. So, we would have to show them pictures of what we had in mind,” he narrates. He explains that every new community shows an initial bit of hesitation and resistance that only comes from the fact that they don’t know what they want to do. But once they started, the entire community really opened up.

“We essentially wanted to make art more democratic,” says Nauriyal. “We want people to look at public spaces as not being sterile, plain, or non-interactive structures; but something that could also initiate conversation and, in some form, inculcate a thought process which extends from painting beautiful things to painting deeper meanings via projects and spaces that have a deeply rooted social context.” St+Art, from its inception, worked as an Indian platform for Indian artists to be exposed on a global stage which was definitely not happening before. It was to create an ecosystem around street art.

The difference was instant. The conversations changed; as did the perceptions. Before long, people were flocking to the prominent areas where, in a matter of days, art had cropped up that was worth marveling at and talking about. While earlier, any and all talks of art existed in a very small chamber—most of which was restricted to art galleries and high teas—now, every street side vendor, every kid next door and every pedestrian were discussing street art. A museum might get anywhere between 100 to 200 visitors a day; on the grandest of occasions; the St+Art India foundation had, in a short span of time, gained footfalls that crossed thousands in a day! They had started the conversation, and from there various other projects. Other artists, too, began to look at public spaces as a canvas.

Over the years, Akshat tells us they’ve worked with over 20 cultural institutions across the board. “You name a country and we’re probably speaking to their consulates over here,” he quips confidently. On an average, the organization works with approximately 25 to 30 artists, per festival. It means that by now they will have worked with over 100 to 150 artists, at least, across all festivals and projects; Indian and International. Most of their funding comes from the sponsors and partners; Asian Paints being a recurring one; year-on-year. “They see value in what we do. They understood where we were coming from and it wasn’t about just about branding. We were clear about the purpose of art being paramount and not venturing into a commercial space,” Akshat says. But, that’s just one aspect.

Being a non-profit organization that may or may not gain favour with governments and local authorities posed one of the biggest challenges initially for St+Art to grow. “When we were doing the first few festivals, it was a bit difficult working with the authorities. But, we tried to create a few landmarks within the city and activate spaces that are not really inhabited and bring art into the spaces,” Akshat says. With the creation of the Lodhi Art District, in Lodhi Colony, New Delhi and the Dadasaheb Phalke Mural in Mumbai, conversations became easier.

“People have this opinion of the government being this close-minded institution; but they are pretty open-minded, progressive and forward thinking. It may sound strange,” he reveals. “Of course, they come with their own set of obstacles but those are fairly negotiable and are also within realistic demands. It’s understandable because there’s a lot of red tape bureaucracy involved and most people have bosses that want things done their way. The point is these are partnerships we’re creating; not one-sided conversations.” Akshat and his team present sketches to the authorities following which, they identify an artist and a surface. The plan is then presented at every stage to ensure transparency. “There are ways of winning their trust which we’ve explored in our own way now and we have a certain format of approaching these projects which is why the government has been great to work with,” he further explains.

Together, the organization has worked with various government bodies, like the Delhi Police Headquarters, the BMRC in Bangalore and Mumbai. “The government also sees value in these projects; especially, with the whole idea of smart cities coming up because that’s where the world is moving. Art and culture is a huge part of building a smart city. So things are changing as well. It’s difficult for people, yes. But, overall it’s been great,” he reiterates.

As an organization, St+Art India has done approximately 6 large scale festivals so far; they’re gearing up for the next edition, soon enough. “With every festival we do, we try to have projects that are a balance of things that are good to look at versus things that are socially relevant and contextual,” Akshat explains. “I’d be lying if I said all the projects we do are socially relevant and I’d be lying if I said all the projects are just aesthetically pleasing.” Depending on the artist that they’re working with the team decides on a project basis on the location. This also means having some boundaries of the kind of work that they put out in the public domain. “We stay away from overtly political and religious statements, or picking sides on news events. This doesn’t mean that we don’t make statements, or don’t challenge the society and the norms on things that are happening,” he shares.

In 2015, for instance, St+Art, along with the government body, got Olek, a well known crochet artist, to create a massive artwork on the walls of the famous night shelter in Sarai Kale Khan to attract the homeless and make them aware of the Rain Baseras project—a project of night shelters created around the city by the government for the homeless. Similarly, in 2016, Banglore-based artist, Shilo Shiv Suleman teamed up with a government foundation called, Sewing New Futures—an organization that works for the betterment of women forced into sex trafficking in the Najafgarh area—and, along with volunteers from the foundation, painted one of the walls in the Lodhi Art District. The mural itself, tells the story of an older woman telling a younger woman that life is going to get better and to not lose hope. In yet another collaboration, St+Art came together with the Aravani Art Project in Banaglore which works with transgender people; bringing them out in the public spaces to let them paint, get them visibility and show people that they are skilled at many other things in life, rather than just the small opportunities that society gives them.

Art can be the ideal medium for putting out a social message. The role that St+Art as an organization plays today is not just to brighten someone’s day up with beautiful artwork; but, to provoke a socially relevant statement. It’s an important measure, as a reflection of society and an artist. “Because of the massive projection and reach it can have, as a medium, it stands to be able to project a lot more voices to a lot more people than most mediums we have today; especially compared to the gallery structure which is marginalising people,” Akshat opines.

Like any emerging scene, it takes time to get the mass’ attention and the artists to get to the purview of the masses. But, the important point is, the conversation has begun. The word is out and it’s spreading, like wildfire—wall to wall; city to city. “When we started off there wasn’t some ‘How To Do Street Art Festival In India’ manual. We’ve written that manual as we went along,” Akshat reminds us. Thanks to the digital boom, St+Art has become a global medium based on imagery. “Maybe the whole country doesn’t know about street art in India; but that doesn’t mean that worldwide we’re not visible,” Akshat quips. “Our audience is global. We have an organic following built on the basis of the work and appreciation. It’s okay to cater only to the people who care about you rather than catering to 10,000 people out of which 9,000 people don’t care.”

http://www.mensxp.com/culture/arts/39512-how-st-art-changed-the-way-people-view-street-art-in-india.html

Credits – DESSIDRE FLEMING SEP 12, 2017

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GST bad for already struggling art industry: Jagannath Panda

visionsart — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 12:16:00 +0000

GST aims at making the tax structure uniform across India but is bad for the already struggling art industry, which needs more incentives and opportunities to grow, says renowned artist Jagannath Panda.

For the Odisha-born artist, who is showcasing his new series of works in a solo exhibition, titled ‘Crystal Cities’, after a seven-year hiatus, taxation is a sensitive topic for artists struggling to survive.
Questioning the uniform Goods and Services Tax law, he asks how “intellectual art” can be compared to an industrial commodity.

“It is bad because you can’t look at any creative intellectual product as a commodity. It is not a mass product.

Sometimes we sell and sometimes we don’t. And if the government compares it to any industrial product, it is not fair to the artist,” Panda told PTI.
He recalls the days of his own struggle when putting up an art show posed huge challenges. From finding an affordable place to showcase art works to gathering support from sponsors, Panda has overcome several hurdles in his artistic journey.

“I belong to Bhubaneswar in Odisha. My father was a government employee and we lived in a small house there. We are a big family and supporting education in an art school was a challenge for my father.”

After I passed out from M S University in Baroda, the lack of government resources to showcase my works became a major hurdle. When you are new in the market, reaching out to private studios also becomes difficult.”

The situation has not changed much since he believes.
“I think we should get many more incentives and opportunities. Because if we look back, not many new mediums have come up… there are not many opportunities for younger artists,” he said.
Panda, 47, compares the struggling state of the Indian art industry with China, where artists get massive backing from the government.

“Whenever I analyse the present state of our industry, the only example that comes to my mind is China. Chinese artists produce massive art works and they do the business of billions which adds to the economy of their country.

“Unlike India, there are a lot of incentives given by the government…they don’t own any land for the studio but the government gives them massive studio spaces for a very little amount. In India, we struggle to get space and are dependent on private entities,” he said. His recent exhibition reflects some concerns of an artist, deeply connected with contemporary events. A mixed bag of paintings, sculptures and photographs, Panda’s new paintings comment on rapid urbanisation and issues of privacy in a new world dominated by social media. Drawing from the tensions of urbanised environments, the artist is clearly exploring his concerns with urbanisation and dislocation, social and economic injustice and shifts in cultural paradigms.

Credits – http://echoofindia.com/new-delhi-gst-bad-already-struggling-art-industry-jagannath-panda-132510

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Manu Parekh: going beyond Banaras

visionsart — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 11:07:00 +0000

One of India’s most celebrated contemporary artists spoke to Lounge about his life and art, ahead of his Delhi retrospective

Manu Parekh at the National Gallery. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint

In a cavernous wing of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, a man perched on a scissor lift is maneuvering a spotlight attached to the ceiling, to make the beam fall perfectly on a painting on the adjoining wall. The artist of the work sits at a distance, his gaze fixed on the lighting man. Manu Parekh, one of India’s most celebrated modern artists, is overseeing the hanging of his new show at the gallery, a retrospective covering 60 years of his life, which is accompanied by a new book, Manu Parekh: Sixty Years Of Selected Works (Aleph Book Co.).

Parekh, born in Ahmedabad, is most noted for his Banaras series, in which he depicts the colorful and zany “city of light” that never fails to inspire him. The retrospective offers a unique opportunity to explore the artist’s lesser-known, and perhaps unfairly overshadowed works. In an interview, Parekh, who is approaching 80, talks about his life, art, the market and Indian art education. Edited excerpts:

‘Flower From Heaven’ (1995). Photo: Courtesy the artist.
Click here for enlarge
Your flower vases are sometimes reminiscent of Vincent van Gogh or even Ambrosius Bosschaert. To what extent has Western art influenced your work?

See, the moment you do modern art in India, there will be a Western influence. The challenge is how to Indianize this Western element. You have to paint the reality you know and see. I found Paul Klee and (Pablo) Picasso very inspiring.

You have worked in theatre and then as a design consultant in the Indian handloom industry for 25 years. How did that influence your art?

All my life, theatre, and craft have helped me immensely. I look at Banaras with a theatrical eye and approach it like set designing. Secondly, my Heads series, I look at it as an actor. When I’m painting heads, I’m actually painting expressions and situations, because if something’s happening in front of you, only then will there be a reaction on your face. My job in handicrafts took me to many villages where the organic sensibility of rural life deeply affected me.

Did you ever feel you were sanitizing or romanticizing Varanasi, for apart from its spirituality, it’s also one of India’s dirtiest cities?

Filth is everywhere in India, even more so in religious places. That was never my concern, as it’s a political issue which doesn’t interest me at all. I was more concerned about the spirituality and life.

What’s your view on abstraction? If a viewer first has to read an essay to approach a work of art, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of art, which is about “looking” and not “reading”?

Look, if you listen to a classical raga, and you like it, that’s fine. But if you want to talk about it, you’ll need some training and education. Similarly, in art, you can’t just stand in front of the work and be given everything—it’s the same in literature, you have to know the nuances.

But a personal connection with an abstract work is still possible without any knowledge.

Oh, yes, and it should be. Look at Shivalinga—it’s completely abstract. But behind it, there is content. Abstraction for abstraction’s sake doesn’t interest me.

‘Painting is like chanting a mantra, sitting for hours to put the paint on canvas. There is a spiritual satisfaction in the repetition.’

Any views on art education in India?

It’s a bleak situation. We had wonderful teachers, but those teaching today are not practicing artists anymore—they’re interested in their own careers and don’t want to teach. Now even in art education, you need a PhD to be an art professor.

Does a work which sells in the market influence what you paint next?

No, otherwise there would be no work like this (pointing to an abstract work with animal heads). You can only do all this if you don’t keep an audience in mind.

What inspired the animal heads series?

It’s all about violence. I went to Africa once and saw a kill; it was an unforgettable experience. A deer was chased and killed by two cheetahs. The scene left an imprint and reminded me of the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’, and I started painting the animal heads when I returned.

Is there a difference between exhibiting in India and abroad?

I would say outside India there is more consciousness, but I have no complaints here. In such a large country with so much poverty, “modern art” is quite understandably not a priority for anyone. Also, Indian culture is replete with images; after all, painting is an image. The common Indian man remains contented in that world of images, of his religion, tradition, culture, family, etc.

Are you a believer and, if so, does it inform your art?

Yes, I am. I got the biggest clarity about faith in Varanasi. Man lives on the basis of belief, be it political, religious or whatever.

Is painting a spiritual act for you then?

There is a level of spirituality in painting, isn’t there? It’s like chanting a mantra, sitting for hours to put the paint on canvas. There is a spiritual satisfaction in the repetition.

Manu Parekh: 60 Years Of Selected Works is on till 24 September, 11am-6.30pm, at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. Click here for details.

First Published: Fri, Sep 01 2017. 12 52 PM IST
Credits – Tanuj Kumar
http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/mlKXKtiwuUIER1CGsPq99L/Manu-Parekh-going-beyond-Banaras.html

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How artist Ravinder Reddy’s sculptures depict women and their sexuality

visionsart — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 09:18:00 +0000

At Ravinder Reddy’s ongoing retrospective, the evolution of his work is clear. But everyday women exuding a casual sexuality remain a constant theme.

The women stand tall and proud in Reddy’s portrayal of city life.(Nikhita Venugopal)

The first thing you notice about G Ravinder Reddy’s sculptures are the eyes. Throughout his work across the decades, an unwavering stare can be seen in his figures — wide-eyed, bold and sensual. The second is a sense of familiarity. These aren’t mythical creatures. They’re the women who sell fish and vegetables. Students going to college. A woman on her way to work.

When Reddy, 61, was a student in the early 1980s, he found that many of his contemporaries were influenced by European sculptors. It was a school of thought he didn’t wish to follow. “Why should we do something that we’re not familiar with and import from European masters?” he asked in an interview.

“Why should I not do something that anybody can understand?”

Reddy’s head sculptures exude unabashed sexuality. (Nikhita Venugopal)

One of India’s most eminent modern artists today, Reddy is currently holding a retrospective of his life’s work in his first Indian solo show in almost a decade. Heads and Bodies: Icons and Idols is being held as The Gallery’s debut show at RMZ Ecoworld, Bangalore. The exhibit traces more than two dozen landmark pieces from his early years to present day, including a monumental bust called ‘Devi’ that’s now a part of the tech park’s permanent collection. Though Reddy has taken part in group shows in recent years, he previously was unable to find a space in India large enough to exhibit his entire range of work. Now with this show, Indians can finally journey through Reddy’s artistic career from his student days to his later, celebrated pieces.

Reddy was born in Suryapet village in Andhra Pradesh and his academic life took him to MS University in Baroda, London’s Goldsmith College of Arts and the Royal College of Art. He later taught at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam, from 1990 till about nine years ago, and is still based in the city. His sculptures have been exhibited across the world, from New York to Tokyo, and he has received several awards, including the National Academy Award in Sculpture from the Lalit Kala Akademi and the Sanskriti Award in Arts.

Reddy has exhibited his work across the world — from New York to Tokyo. (Courtesy Ravinder Reddy)

“Nobody has seen such a body of work [of Ravinder Reddy] for the last 10 years,” says Premilla Baid, who runs Gallery Sumukha in Bangalore and was a consultant on the show at RMZ Ecoworld. “It’s basically the evolution of an artist where you can see the gradual shift of his work.”

Baid describes Reddy’s work as having “an Indian flavour” but with a global appeal, which has enabled his national and international success. While his work has evolved over time, experts say he remains deeply honest in his use of iconography that represents the every day, whether through his full-bodied statues, his terracotta works or his iconic busts.

It’s not difficult to see why: Reddy’s monumental head sculptures, particularly their features — kohl-lined bulging eyes, the strong inclined nose, the red protruding lips — are instantly captivating. Though they lack full bodies, they exude a kind of unabashed sexuality, according to V Ramesh, a fine arts professor at Andhra University.

“There’s something about the head that’s mesmerising,” he says. “There’s no coy sexuality, no coy femininity there.”

Girl with Umbrella, a 1981 fibreglass sculpture, was inspired by the people of Mumbai. (Nikhita Venugopal)

The Journey of an Artist

Describing his days as a young artist, Reddy says, “I would portray whatever used to strike me directly.” Take his piece, Girl with Umbrella, a 1981 fibreglass sculpture. It depicts a woman in motion as she places one foot in front of the other. Her eyes are masked by sunglasses and a folded umbrella dangles from her hand. That image, inspired by the people of Mumbai, was significant to him. “I was struck because I went from a village to a city,” he says.

That portrayal of city life can be seen in three early statues that stand side by side in the gallery, titled Relief I, II and III. They are brightly-coloured modern college women wearing jeans and dresses and sandals with a bag slung over one’s shoulder. One figure is a thinly-veiled nude, yet, as with Reddy’s other work exhibited at the show, she stands tall, proud and unflinching.

Reddy saw success with his terracotta works too. (Nikhita Venugopal)

Rajeev Lochan, the former director of the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, notes that “He has been very conscious about doing exactly what he wants to do. This speaks to the inner personality of the artist.”

There’s a casual sexuality to the stance of those three reliefs, says art and culture writer Vaishna Roy, but while Reddy’s journey revolves around attempts to capture what he observes every day, “it’s not a casual sexuality that he’s likely to have seen on the street.” Instead, Reddy imbues these statues with a kind of power by presenting them in that way, she says.

With time and age, Reddy says his way of thinking and perspective matured. He began to eliminate images from his mind that he deemed transient or fleeting. Instead, he focused on those that stayed in his thoughts.

Reddy’s head sculptures have particularly striking features — kohl-lined bulging eyes, strong inclined noses, and the red protruding lips. (Nikhita Venugopal)

But if one theme persists in his work, it is the strength of his female figures. Sculptures that depict a woman tying her hair or another squatting and bathing show women in their natural state, with folds of flesh, a wide girth and often exaggerated features. “It’s a woman who is not ashamed of herself,” he says. “She’s proud of her body.” Reddy notes that rather than an exact likeness of an individual, he often uses some physical elements of real people, which inspire his work.

“The love with which he portrays them makes it all beautiful,” Roy comments.

In later years, Reddy’s more recent work possibly turned into his most recognisable. Stroll into The Bay at RMZ Ecoworld and you’ll come face to face with the 15-feet gold-skinned Devi, one of his monumental busts. With the sculpture, he emulates the south Indian woman as he sees her — her jet-black hair covered with jasmine buds and crimson red flowers, her nose and ears adorned with jewellery. Baid says they wanted an iconic work of Reddy’s to display permanently in the tech park, and in recent times, that has meant the artist’s head sculptures.

“It is the head that perhaps encapsulates the quintessential Ravinder Reddy,” Ramesh says. Some feel that Reddy’s own personality is reflected in the heads — a quietness, coupled with a strength to live and work without bowing to society.

Finding Commercial Success

Reddy’s recognition as one of India’s top artists also turned him into one of its most expensive. His head sculptures grew in popularity around 2007 in the East, particularly China, according to the Arts Trust, a group that tracks and analyses market trends for modern and contemporary art. The average value of his work soared after 2006, with one fibreglass bust selling for $3,46,070, or Rs 1.48 crores in 2007. Though the 2008 crash had a devastating effect on the domestic and international art markets, auctions in recent years suggest that the value of Reddy’s work managed to recover. (The Arts Trust has not published a record of Reddy’s commercial success beyond 2014).

Between 2010 and 2011, Reddy sold at least two gold-skinned heads for more than Rs 1.1 crores, according to leading auction house Saffronart. Another head sculpture was sold in 2014 for $157,377, or Rs 96 lakh. And in 2015, a version of his Devi, standing at about nine feet, sold for a whopping $415,385, or Rs 2.7 crore rupees, data from Saffronart shows.

Baid, who is also a collector of Reddy’s work, notes several factors that go into the price and demand of an artist’s work. That includes having a solid record of exhibiting at international shows, museums and some of the best galleries in India like Sakshi and Vadehra, as Reddy does.

His works have an Indian flavour with a global appeal. (Courtesy RMZ Corp)

And consistency, both in quality and pricing, cannot be sacrificed. “If you’re consistent with your work and consistent with your market, the price will go up,” Baid says.

As Reddy recalls, his value was neither high nor steady in the early part of his career. He barely made a sale during his first 15 to 16 years and began supporting himself through teaching and other activities. Instead of allowing his work to be dictated by trends or buyers, he made a conscious decision to avoid worrying about sales. “Once that concern [with selling] comes, your creativity goes,” he said.

Now based in Visakhapatnam, where the art scene is almost non-existent, Reddy continues to separate himself from the pressure and expense of living in big cities.

“You follow your inner path, rather than what the world tells you to do,” Lochan says. “With Ravinder, that’s what I see.”

In his experience, Reddy found that art buyers in the 80s were fewer, but were often more knowledgeable. Later, particularly the early 2000s, art turned into a prime investment and buyers began to seek out an original Ravinder Reddy to add to their collection. Baid notes that Reddy is very rigid when it comes to the value of his pieces and does not waver on price, one of the reasons his work and appeal have stayed steady in an often-turbulent market.

A Bold Scale, A Bold Style

Seeing the arc of Reddy’s work from student to present day offers a glimpse into the artist’s change in sensibility, in terms of the material he uses and his perception of women.

Words like sexual, kitsch and pop art have been used in describing Reddy’s work over the years, but to his followers, the shift in style has been apparent. “Reddy’s work is getting more stylised and less realistic. The scale has increased and he’s making reliefs like he used to, earlier in the 1980s,” says Geetha Mehra, director of Sakshi Gallery, over email.

It’s a shift that he accomplishes without compromising the quality of his pieces or the honesty of his vision that so many recognise.

“Reddy’s work is iconic. It’s difficult to forget and has an instant recognition, giving it immense repeat value,” Mehra said.

As Reddy grew as an artist into the 90s, there was a shift in his perception and style. He describes a period when he would travel to see works by other sculptors, unsatisfied by what he was finding in books. It was during a trip to the Museum of Mankind in London that he was deeply impacted by terracotta sculptures. He also found inspiration in African art from Egypt and other countries, as well as Mexico.

If Reddy’s work appeared to move away from the traditional styles of his contemporaries, his rebellion continued in his choice of material. Stone, wood and bronze were common materials used for sculpting, but the artist grew tired of appreciation being given to the material, rather than the work itself.

is sculptures show women in their natural state, with folds of flesh, a wide girth and often exaggerated features. (Nikhita Venugopal)

So, he took a different route. Though he had had success working with terracotta, it had its own limitations. At this point in his career, Reddy had the urge to blow up his work in size and scale, and fragility of terracotta would not allow for that. Bronze would be too expensive and cumbersome to work with. His search for an alternate material finally led to fibreglass and eventually, the head sculptures.

To friends who have known the artist for decades, Reddy is a simple, unassuming man who is rooted in culture and tradition, yet is willing to bridge a gap that makes it relevant to modern times.

“Ravinder’s work is like this because nothing has swayed him,” Lochan says.

But Reddy is not quite prepared to predict where his work will lead to in the future. All he knows is that a stylistic evolution cannot be forced or rushed. If he finds that he is unsatisfied with a piece, “that leads to work to overcome those deficiencies. Those deficiencies will lead to a new style.”

“Style has to evolve out of your needs,” he says.

Source – http://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/how-artist-ravinder-reddy-s-sculptures-depict-women-and-their-sexuality-see-pics/story-P5nAPVV0BTMbZPvmxGj0OI.html

(Published in arrangement with GRIST Media)

Nikhita Venugopal

GRIST Media, Bengaluru

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Seminar on Indian art in Manipal from tomorrow

visionsart — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 07:04:00 +0000

The Centre for Creative and Cultural Studies, Manipal University, will organise a national seminar and art exhibition funded by Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) on ‘Indian Art and Art History: Coastal (Karavali) Culture and Art Practices-Ideas, perspectives and challenges’ at Manipal on July 22 and 23.

Addressing presspersons recently, K. Unni Krishnan, coordinator of the centre, said the seminar aimed to analyse and debate on Indian art and art historical practices with a focus on culture and art practices of coastal Karnataka. It will reveal the reactions and reflections of artists to the regional concerns.

Experts would participate as resource persons in the seminar and deliver lectures. Prabhakara Joshy will deliver a lecture on “Yakshagana: An overview, genesis, evolution and present situation”. M.L. Samaga will speak on “Diversity in Yakshagana traditions: Types, experiments and Arthagarike”. K.M. Raghava Nambiar will deliver a lecture on “Nature and identity of Yakshagana music”. Ashok Alva will deliver a lecture on “Siri Jathre”. S.A. Krishniah will speak on “Paddy culture: Special reference to coastal Karnataka” and Sharitha Hegde on “Siri Aradhane”. Choodamani N. will deliver a lecture on “Nature of interdisciplinary dimensions in Indian Art History – Special reference to Coastal Culture of Karnataka”.

R.H. Kulkarni will speak on “Coastal architecture and sculpture – An art historical view”, Ramesh Narayan Rao on “Design and technology at the interface of tradition and contemporary art and education”, and H.A. Anil Kumar will deliver a lecture on “Coastal Art of Karnataka and Diaspora (an intervention into historiography of art experiences)”.

Janardhan Rao Havanje will speak on “Extinction of epic Kaavi mural art of Coastal Karnataka and Goa”, Ranga Pai on “Propagation of Hindustani classical music in Dakshina Kannada district”, V. Arvind Hebbar on “Carnatic Music in the Coastal belt of Dakshina Kannada” and Bhramari Shivaprakash on “Classical dance tradition in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada”.

B.A. Vivek Rai, former Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi, will inaugurate the conference. Poornima Baliga, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Kasturba Medical College, will preside over the inaugural function.

July 21 2017

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/seminar-on-indian-art-in-manipal-from-tomorrow/article19321095.ece

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India in his heart

visionsart — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 07:00:00 +0000

Legendary strokes: Artist Sayed Haider Raza

Remembering the master artist, S.H.Raza on his first death anniversary that falls on July 23

Every day after breakfast, Sayed Haider Raza would walk to his studio, close his eyes, mumble something and then begin to paint. “I thought it was a prayer,” says Ashok Vajpeyi, one of Raza’s closest friends and chairperson of the cultural organisation, the Raza Foundation. Raza who died last year on July 23, was a believer of all faiths. He visited the church, temple and a mosque almost every week, yet didn’t practice any other rituals. Till the end, Vajpeyi was intrigued about Raza’s everyday routine. One day, Vajpeyi mustered the guts and asked the artist what he muttered before colouring the canvas. The answer was telling, “Listen to that voice of silence lies buried somewhere”, which is a line from late German poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s works. The late artist has the distinction of having been awarded the Padma Shri in 1981), Padma Bhushan in 2007 and Padma Vibhushan in 2013.

Unique vision

There is perhaps and nor will be any other artist like Raza – so dedicated and passionate towards art and his country. He was a founding member of the Bombay Progressive Art Group along with F.N. Souza, V.S. Gaitonde and M.F. Husain, which sought to make a mark for the newly independent India in 1947. In the same year Raza’s mother died and next year his father. While some of his siblings migrated to Pakistan, Raza went to France to accomplish his group’s mission.

In the beginning, Raza often painted French landscapes, the country where he now lived and also became a visiting faculty at an art school in Berkley. But by 1970 he felt lost and restless. His trip to Benaras, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra gave birth to his life-long quest for the ‘Bindu’ (an Indian, tantric philosophical concept, which broadly describes the merging point of masculine and feminine energies). The epic, Mahabharata and practise of tantra also influenced his paintings.

“Raza combined the best of West’s sensitivity and influences that with the spirit of his work, which always carried India in its heart,” says Hugo Weihe, CEO of the auction house, Saffronart. Raza’s ‘Saurashtra’, sold in 2010 at a London auction, to an Indian collector, broke the record of highest priced Indian painting at an auction. “It’s exemplary of the artist’s connection to Indian places, the feeling of earth and Indian colours,” says Weihe. “But it’s also reminiscent of the time he was introduced to acrylic colours in Berkley, US, in 1960s.” Raza was sensitive to what other artists had achieved in the West of the world and combined it with Indian sensitivity. “There is an inherent logic to his oeuvre and how it evolved. I find that extraordinarily brilliant,” says Weihe.

Most of Raza’s creations are signed in Devanagiri and several of them influenced by Hindi, Urdu, English and even French poetry. He combined and promoted all kinds of art and the Raza Foundation, formed after his return to India, from France, in 2010, has awarded the likes of Ranjit Hoskote, poet and cultural theorist, visual artist Atul Dodiya, dancer Kelucharan Mahapatra and vocalist Kumar Gandharva.

Dedicated to art

To mark Raza’s first death anniversary the foundation will host an art camp for final-year art students at his native town and final resting place Mandala, Madhya Pradesh, to expose them to different forms of art. “Raza Saab was perhaps the only senior and celebrated painter who kept a keen eye on what young artists are doing,” says artist Manish Pushkale. “He taught me to have conviction in my work through constant dialogues and emotional support.”

Pushkale vividly remembers that 2002 day when he visited the master after he lost his artist wife Janine Mongilat’s to cancer, “He was distraught. We all knew that. But he still painted and kept at it,” says Pushkale. “That taught me one of the greatest lessons of life. If you love your work it will be your respite even in the toughest times and that’s exactly what you must do all your life.”

Raza did that. Even during his last days he continued to paint with shivering hands and was resolute to give it back to the art and the art fraternity he so dearly loved and lived for. “It took me three whole days to convince Raza that the foundation be named after him,” says Vajpeyi. This despite, having bequeathed all his wealth, properties and paintings to the foundation. He was so principled that he paid rent to live in the foundation building, which was in fact, built by him.

Riddhi Doshi – 21 july
http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/india-in-his-heart/article19326078.ece

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