Art Houz’s exhibition “The Modernists of Bangalore” becomes a coincidence in the wake of recent losses of two great Indian modernists – K.G. Subramanyan and S.H. Raza. If you look at it in the light of our renewed celebration of the movement and its masters, even then the show fits into the picture with ease.
Curator Aditi Ghildiyal weaves a narrative by bringing in 10 artists whose practice is rooted in modernism. Through their journey one gets a glimpse of the journey of art in Bengaluru. The show, which is being held to mark the second anniversary of the gallery, is a mix of mediums and styles.
There is a stainless steel sculpture by Balan Nambiar, a silk tapestry by S.G. Vasudev, pen and acrylic by Chandrakanth Acharya, mixed media on canvas by G. Subramanian, oils by Gurudas Shenoy, acrylics by Jasu Rawal, Rekha Hebbar Rao and P.S. Kumar, graphite on paper by Milind Nayak, charcoal and gold on canson by Paresh Hazra.
Modernism took root in the Western society in the late 19th and 20th Centuries. It rejected the old and searched for newer languages to fit into the world which was dealing with Second World War.
Indian art also embraced modernism but there came a point when artists started to question it. They didn’t reject the tradition instead used it to fashion a new language which seamlessly blended the modern aesthetics with a familiar imagery.
Raja Ravi Varma, Amrita Sher-gil, Jamini Roy, Rabanindranath Tagore, Benode Bihari Mukherjee, Ram Kinkar Baij are some of the noteworthy names in this regard.
Post-independence, a new chapter in Indian modernism was written by Progressive Artists’ Group which had F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza, M.F. Husain, H.A.Gade, K.H.Ara, Ram Kumar, V.S. Gaitonde, Krishen Khanna as its members.
Karnataka lacked any formal centre for art activity, but Gurudas Shenoy’s efforts ended up shaping the art landscape in Bangalore. A group called Karnataka Painters was formed with Yusuf Arakkal, S.G.Vasudev, Janardhan, Appukuttan Achary etc. “Bengaluru never had an indigenous modernist movement. Most of these artists came from outside and settled in the city. Vasudev came from Government College of Arts and Crafts Madras, so did Balan Nambiar. Jasu Rawal came from Baroda, Paresh Hazra is from the college of art in Kolkata. And they became PAG’s (Progressives Art Group) counterparts in Bangalore,” says Aditi.
Their varied backgrounds and artistic practices made the discourse eclectic. To show evolution in their styles, the young curator has chosen not the old but the recent works of the artists. A self-taught artist Milind Nayak shows his never-exhibited graphites on paper, which has evoked curiosity amongst art lovers in the city. Paresh Hazra, deeply inspired by the Bengal School of Art, often paints Indian mythology; but for this show, his works in charcoal and gold foil draws from Biblical stories. A particularly interesting artist is Chandrakanth Acharya, who combines popular culture, the tradition of Indian leather puppetry and the delicate hatching of famous printmaker Albrecht Durer in his works. Chandrakanth is one of the earlier students of Ken School of Arts, Bengaluru. He did a diploma in painting and drawing in 1973. G. Subramanian’s mixed media works also borrow from mythology. ‘Little girls’, a recurring motif in his work are filled with torn images which are later worked upon with acrylic paint.
(The show is on at Art Houz, 63 Palace Road, Vasanth Nagar, till August 6)
