Romancing the ancient deities
Those who have always wanted to enjoy early Indian art but never got the opportunity now have a chance to delight in the works of 75 artists spread over two centuries in Delhi Art Gallery’s (DAG) ongoing signature bi-annual show, titled “Manifestations-VI”. Not organised around a theme or style, the exhibition features a single work or a series of works reflecting an important facet of the artistic journey of several chosen artists.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is that apart from Indian artists, DAG will also feature well-known foreign artists, including Muhammad Abdur Rahman Chughtai from Pakistan, Thomas Daniell from Europe and George Kyet from Sri Lanka.
The paintings include several academic oil works of the early 20th century by Indian artists like Raja Ravi Varma, Pestonji Bomanji, M.V. Dhurnadhar, M.F. Pithawalla and J.P. Ganguly and wash-technique works by Nandalal Bose, Badrinath Arya, Muhammad Abdur Rahman and Asit Kumar Haldar. The paintings exhibited covet a vast range, from Company Painting set in the Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu done by Daniell for the East India Company in the 1790s to an early Bengal work of a ferocious Kali astride a supine Shiva.
The huge selection of artwork also features Indian modernists like Somnath Hore, Ram Kumar, K.S. Kulkarni , M.F. Husain and F.N. Souza. Alongside the paintings, sculptural works by India’s foremost modernists, including Chintamani Kar, P.V. Janakiram and Himmat Shah will be showcased.
Also on display are the early works of artists like Biren De, V.S. Gaitonde and G.R. Santosh that are completely unlike what they painted later and the styles and concerns they came to be known by, giving an insight into their journey was along their artistic careers.
A comprehensive book accompanies the exhibition, wherein the chosen artworks are discussed in detail. Films on some of the featured artists will also be screened as part of the exhibition, which will conclude on December 15.
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