The pandemic year was not only costly in terms of the impact it had on the health care sector but also because it took away one too many artistes. Luminaries in the fields of music, dance, theatre, acting, etc., left us this year, leaving a huge void in the art and culture scene in India, and even around the world. As the year almost comes to an end, we share a list of some of the personalities whom we wish, we could see more of. Read on.

Ebrahim Alkazi, theatre doyen, art connoisseur Ebrahim Alkazi was 95. (Source: Getty Images)

Ebrahim Alkazi passed away on August 4, 2020, at the age of 95 after a massive heart attack in New Delhi. He was surrounded by his family at the time of his death. Son and noted theatre director Feisal Alkazi spoke of his father’s legacy with indianexpress.com, and said: “He was active in the pre-Independence days. He was a perfectionist in everything he did, whether theatre, painting, as an art connoisseur or an educator. His works continue to inspire the young and old.”

Bhanu Athaiya, costume designer She was India’s very first Oscar winner. (Photo: Express Archive)

India’s very first Oscar winner, costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, passed away in Mumbai on October 15. She was 91. Her daughter Radhika Gupta, was quoted as telling PTI: “Eight years ago, she was diagnosed with a tumour in her brain. For the last three years, she was bedridden because one side (of her body) was paralysed.” Athaiya won the Best Costume Design Oscar for her work in the 1982 film Gandhi.

Pandit Jasraj, vocalist

 Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj passed away on August 17. (Source: Express Archive)

Indian classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj passed away on August 17, following a cardiac arrest at his home in New Jersey, USA. He had turned 90 in January 2020. “With profound grief, we inform that Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj ji breathed his last this morning at 5.15 EST due to a cardiac arrest at his home in New Jersey, USA,” news agency PTI quoted a statement issued by his family. When the coronavirus-led lockdown had happened, he had decided to stay back in the country.

Vishwa Mohan Badola, theatre actor

Vishwa Mohan Badola passed away because of age-related illness in November. The 84-year-old was a popular theatre actor before he started doing TV series and advertisements. With a career spanning more than 50 years, he became a common face in the theatre circles. His death was mourned by many in the country, including son Varun Badola, a popular television actor.

Anjum Singh, artist

After battling with cancer for six years, Anjum Singh passed away at the age of 53, in November. Her complex compositions — of mundane objects and rapidly-changing surroundings, along with her ponderings — held multiple layers. She was the daughter of artists Arpita and Paramjit Singh.

(post featured before at Visions Art)

Amala Shankar, dancer Amala Shankar (Express Archives)

Renowned danseuse Amala Shankar passed away in Kolkata at the age of 101 in July. She was the wife of legendary Indian dancer and choreographer Uday Shankar. Amala learned to dance in the 1930s when women from ‘respectable households’ were just about beginning to perform classical dance on stage. On her death, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said it would cause “irreparable damage to the world of dance”.

Rahat Indori, poet and lyricist Dr Rahat Indori performing during Jashan-E-Azadi ‘Kul Hind Mushaira’ at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh in 2017. (Express photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Indori passed away on August 11, because of cardiorespiratory arrest. A celebrated poet and lyricist, he was known for penning songs like ‘Chori Chori Jab Nazrein Mili‘ (Kareeb), ‘Bumbro‘ (Mission Kashmir), ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai‘ (Meenaxi), ‘Dil Ko Hazar Bar‘ (Murder), among others, besides his many famous poems. His son Faisal had said the poet was admitted to the hospital after he had tested positive for coronavirus.

Shanti Hiranand, ghazal singer Shanti Hiranand was Begum Akhtar’s foremost disciple for over two decades. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Shanti Hiranand, the torchbearer of Begum Akhtar gayaki, passed away in April because of age-related issues. She was 88. Hiranand was Begum Akhtar’s foremost disciple for over two decades. She devoted her life to her ‘Ammi’, and remained the harbinger of the Begum Akhtar gayaki — the thumris, bhajans and dadras.

Jyotsna Bhatt, ceramic artist Ceramic artist Jyotsna Bhatt was one of the best in the country. (Source: Sahapedia)

Known to be one of India’s best-known ceramic artists, Baroda-based Bhatt breathed her last on July 11, two days after she suffered a stroke. She was 80.

Zarina Hashmi, artist Her journey came to an end April 25, when she passed away in London, at 83, after a prolonged illness. (Photo: File)

Known for her minimalist monochrome prints and themes of separation and memory, Hashmi died April 25 in London, at 83, after a prolonged illness. A graduate in mathematics, she had a keen interest in architecture and was part of the feminist movement in New York in the ’70s.

Kapila Vatsyayan, scholar of Indian classical dance Scholar, author and connoisseur of the arts Kapila Vatsyayan died at her Delhi home in September. (Photo: file)

Scholar, author, and connoisseur of the arts Kapila Vatsyayan died at her Delhi home in September. She was 92. “She passed away at 9 am at her home in Gulmohar Enclave,” Kanwal Ali, the secretary of the India International Centre where she was a lifetime trustee, told PTI.

Purba Dam, Rabindra sangeet exponent

Veteran Rabindra sangeet exponent Purba Dam died at her home in September. She was 85. According to a PTI report, Dam died of cardiac arrest at her Dhakuria residence in south Kolkata. She is survived by her husband and daughter.

K Damodaran, artist India lost one of its prominent abstract artists, when K Damodaran passed away on June 15. (Image via iemalayalam.com)

India lost one of its prominent abstract artists, when K Damodaran passed away on June 15. He had been keeping unwell for some months, and died at his Mayur Vihar residence in Delhi.

Soumitra Chatterjee, actor, director, playwright Soumitra Chatterjee left a big void in Indian cinema. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee died in November, at the age of 85, leaving a heavy sense of loss and sadness in the hearts of many people around the country and in the world, who followed his films and were a fan of his craft. Chatterjee had tested positive for COVID-19. He was immediately admitted at the Belle Vue Clinic, Kolkata. While he tested negative after the second test conducted October 14, his health condition worsened, with complications of urinary tract infection, fluctuations in sodium potassium levels, etc., making him critical.

Astad Deboo, dancer Astad Deboo was a celebrated choreographer. (Express photo by Vasant Prabhu)

Indian contemporary dancer Astad Deboo passed away on December 10, in Mumbai. Deboo, 73, trained in Kathak as well as Kathakali and went on to combine the two classical dance forms to create a unique fusion dance form, earning the tag of ‘pioneer of modern dance in India’.

Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, classical music maestro Ustad Iqbal Ahmed belonged to the Delhi Gharana of classical music. (Express photo by Vikram Sharma)

Music maestro Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan passed away December 17. He was 66. Khan was raised in the Dilli Gharana of music. He began his stage career at the age of four, under the guidance of his teacher and grandfather Ustad Chand Khan. The celebrated musician was a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Hindustani music.

Original Source – Indian Express
https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/celebrated-artistes-who-passed-away-2020-ebrahim-alkazi-bhanu-athaiya-pandit-jasraj-soumitra-chatterjee-7106377/

By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Updated: December 18, 2020 12:28:39 pm

The post Remembering celebrated artistes who left us in 2020 first appeared on Indian Art News.

Coming from the gallery’s in-house collection which was in the reserve for about a year and a half, the works represent few milestones in the art landscape from the post-freedom era. On view are around 60 works, including paintings, sculptures and prints.

“The exodus of artistic fervour and vision from rural to urban spaces that started after the Independence of our nation in 1947, brought in a new lease of life to the artistic creations. The deep rooted sentiments of the soil mixed with the fresh wave of ideas led to the germination of new visions of portraying the struggles and aspirations of a newly formed nation and its people.

“This is the time which witnessed the formation of various artist collectives named after the urban centre of their origin. These centres represented by their artists produced an artistic language that was a synthesis of traditional Indian art with the international artistic trends such as impressionism and expressionism,” the NGMA said.

The monumental canvas on display, titled ‘Zamin’ by artist M.F. Husain portrays the relationship of the famer with the soil he tills, in an abstract and angular style which will formulate his signature way of expression in his future works.

The triptych popularly called ‘Shantiniketan’ by Tyeb Mehta, also takes a folk event of sacrifice that took place during his stay in Shantiniketan, to form his own allegory of life.

The emancipation of women was always central theme of many women artists of this period, a voice that became stronger than ever before. It all started from an echo which can be traced back to the paintings of Amrita Sher-Gil, where the melancholy of the indecisiveness about the near future reflected in the eyes of the women that took centre stage on her canvases could be seen.

Now, the woman from this submissive and tragic victim portrayed in many artworks, is elevated and celebrated as a supreme power, reflected in the works of Arpana Caur and Anjolie Ela Menon. Arpana Caur is one of the first artists, who collaborated with indigenous folk artisans of Warli to successfully transform her visions into her paintings.

With a different approach, sculptor Latika Katt, uses a traditional imagery of the burnt remains of a funeral pyre, titled, ‘Arthi’, to evoke the feeling of ‘memento mori’ inside the viewer.

Abstraction was also a major form of expression adopted by many artists. The exhibition also highlights this form of expression through the pin-point textures of Zarina Hashmi and the high relief metal sculpture of Himmat Shah.

The evolution of art in the 1990’s in India, took a new road map with artists experimenting with newer materials often mixing different mediums, further blurring the boundaries between sculpture, painting, design and performing arts.

In the works of Jitish Kallat and Subodh Gupta, one sees their experiences through their themes and metaphors which can be identified and related to universally.

The exhibition has been put up in the basement area of the permanent display section in NGMA’s New Wing.

By Siddhi Jain
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=675957

The post New NGMA show a glimpse into post-freedom India first appeared on Indian Art News.