As Mughal emperor Jahangir celebrates Holi with his queen in arm in the lavish palace courtyard amidst all the dancing and singing, a gleaming red Audi TT, the luxurious two-door sports car is parked right in front. Brahma and his sarathy (charioteer) seem to occupy as big a space as a grey sedan.
Visitors at Concern India Foundation’s traditional and folk art display at the Audi showroom in Nandanam, journeyed between the ancient and the current as art and automobile made for an unusual juxtaposition. The show, the proceeds of which go towards helping the disadvantaged become self-reliant, was organised to support practitioners of traditional skills.
Gond, an art belonging to one of the largest tribes in Central India, establishes the strong connection of the people of this region with Nature even while depicting their beliefs, rituals and celebrations. And Ramesh Tekam’s works at the show brought out the inherent quality of Gond art in its bright hues and bold strokes. It established the rustic charm of the style that is marked by dots and lines.
National award winner Sanjay Manubhai Chitara’s Mata ni Pachedi creations, which were traditionally offered to the goddess by the Vaghri community in Gujarat, captured the essence of the form in large pieces of cloth. One of the very few artists who practise this style of painting, the pieces at the show, with the goddess as the focal point and the colour red striking a dominant note, stood out for the fine detailing of human figures and animals.
Shrinathji was depicted in different settings and celebrations in well-known Pichwai artist Sushil Soni’s works. Rich and intricately done, they captured the essence of these hand-painted screens, originally meant to serve as a backdrop to Shrinathji, the seven-year-old Krishna who lifts a mountain on his little finger, in his Nathdwara Haveli in Udaipur.
Prakash Joshi has kept his family’s more than 500-year-old Phad legacy. The paintings that look quite similar to Madhubani and Pattachitra represent epic narratives and rich folklore, as they were used as backdrops during all-night storytelling performances in Rajasthani villages. Three of his pieces at the show were based on the Ramayana, with each having its own impact. One in black and white, the second in a subtle three-colour combination and the third, beautifully blending the greens, reds, blacks, yellows, oranges, blues and greys.
As part of an effort to bring many of these arts out of their limited environs, into the spotlight of the urban space, the exhibition also included Kalamkari creations of Ramachandraiah P., Kalighat works of Sanuwar Chitrakar and miniature paintings of Babulal Marotia.
As visitors walked past the works, writer and art historian Pradeep Chakravarthy, in his brief introduction to Tanjore art at the exhibition, spoke about the need to contemplate on the theme or story when one views paintings. “They reverberate with positive energy. They have a meditative quality and a calming effect.”
He also pointed out how the appreciation becomes more interesting when the artist sometimes leaves the interpretation to the viewer with a blank central space. As for Tanjore paintings, he said, “I see it as a fine example of secular art as it combines the Deccani, miniature and western influences,” — driving home the point that art’s true appeal cuts across boundaries, space and time.
