Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi

in collaboration with

DAG Modern

organised an exhibition

India Modern

Narratives from 20th Century Indian Art

from Thursday, 14th September to 14th October 2017

at the Galleries of Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi

Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16 B, Chandigarh

 

and a talk on Indian Modernism by

Yamini Telkar

 

Showcasing some of the best art works

from its rich collection, DAG Modern, in

collaboration with the Punjab Lalit Kala

Akademi, presented in September this

year a spectacular exhibition, ‘India

Modern: Narratives from 20th Century

Indian Art’, along with Art Walks, Art

Appreciation Workshops, Film Screenings

and Conversation with artists. The exhibition

showcased the expanse of Indian

art practice over the 20th century, covering

periods, styles, themes and artistic

concerns and also presented the diverse

journeys of artists who have defined

Indian modern art.

The exhibition comprising of 57 works

by 41 artists was curated by writer and

art critic Kishore Singh, who is the head

of Publications and Exhibitions at DAG

Modern. This initiative was the first of its

kind in the region, brought to Chandigarh

by artist Diwan Manna, who is also

President of Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi.

The exhibition was a rare opportunity

for art lovers to view significant artworks

of the landmark Indian modernists and

documented the pioneering works of the

various artist collectives and art movements

that have made Indian modern art

into a diverse and exciting stream it is today.

The exhibition gave a chance to viewers to

experience the trajectories, of modern art

practices in India through the showcase of

works from artist collectives like Bombay

Progressives (F. N. Souza, Ram Kumar, M.

  1. Husain, K. H. Ara, Krishen Khanna, S. H.

Raza) , Group 1890 ( Jyoti Bhatt, Jeram Patel,

Eric Bowen, Ambadas, J. Swaminathan,

Himmat Shah), and other artists, including

Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Sunil

Das, Gopal Ghose, Jamini Roy, Sohan Qadri,

  1. R. Santosh, Rajendra Dhawan, Avinash

Chandra… among several others. Also on

showcase were sculptures by Dhanraj

Bhagat, Prodosh Das Gupta, Sankho

Chaudhuri. There was a strong emphasis

on women artists who have pioneered

Indian modern art like Sunayani Devi, the

first woman artist from the Tagore household,

Gogi Saroj Pal, Devyani Krishna…

The exhibition featured not just rare and

important works of art by Indian modern

masters, but also covered genres, including

still-life, figurative, narrative, abstract,

tantra, and landscape art.

 

To bring viewers closer to art and also understand and

appreciate Modern Indian Art, experts from Mumbai

and Delhi, Yamini Telkar, Siddhant Shah, Supriya Consul,

Poonam Baid from DAG and Diwan Manna, President

of the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi conducted curatorial

art walks as part of the exhibition, ‘India Modern:

Narratives from 20th Century Indian Art’. The sessions

were conducted for students and teachers from

Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar, Sainik School,

Jalandhar, Government College for Girls, Sector 11,

Chandigarh, Government College of Art, Chandigarh,

St Kabir’s High School, Chandigarh, Lovely Professional

University, Jalandhar, Chandigarh University, and a

more than 200 other participants from across Punjab

and Chandigarh. The experts gave important insights

into the history of Modern Art, its origins and artists

who engaged themselves in this revolutionary period

in the history of Indian art. Amidst 57 original artworks

by 41 masters of Modern Indian Art, it was a lesson in

the history of Indian Modern Art and rare opportunity

to witness, feel and explore the nuances of visual arts

from close distance. The sessions were replete with

information about the political and social developments

taking place in the world and India and anecdotes about

artists, their personal lives and artistic activities. The

experts spoke about the influences or inspirations of

Indian artists first by the Imperial art practices, then

confluence of the oriental with the western, culminating

with a fusion of local, traditional and folk with the

avant-garde art movements of Europe and beyond.

 

From lines to textures, shapes to spaces, 25

visually challenged students from the Institute

of Blind, Chandigarh felt and touched the

many contours of art as part of this unique

workshop. With the help of Siddhant Shah,

DAG runs a programme called ABHAS, an initiative

that focuses on providing people with

special needs a sensory experience through

the use of audio and visual aids. Tactile aids

that are created in conjunction with the few

selected art works invite the visitors to touch

and feel. Each student was given an opportunity

to actually feel the specially prepared

tactile art works, simulating the original in

3D for the benefit of visually impaired. For

these students, the visit to the exhibition was

an extraordinary experience, with the specialists

making it a memorable day for them.

 

Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi and DAG Modern

screened the award-winning documentary film,

‘A Far Afternoon: A Painted Saga by Krishen

Khanna’, directed by Sruti Harihara Subramanian

and produced by Piramal Art Foundation. The

film was screened amidst the original art works

at the exhibition – India Modern, in which 57 art

works by 41 most significant artists of India were

displayed, including a canvas by Krishen Khanna.

The film captured the artist at work along with

insights into his creative process while painting

his large and famous canvas – A Far Afternoon.

Recipient of the 2016 National Award for Best Art /

Cultural Film, the documentary is the filmmaker’s

attempt to capture the artistic process involved

in the creation of the eponymous art work by

veteran artist. Presented in five parts, the documentary

also features art historians and fellow

artists, including Gayatri Sinha, Ranjit Hoskote

and A. Ramachandran, talking about Khanna’s

artistic techniques and his contribution to Indian

modern art.

 

one of the most defining art collectives in the

history of Indian modern art, was formed in 1947

with the aim to encourage an Indian avant-garde,

engaged at an international level. Founded by F

N Souza, the enfant terrible of Indian art, in 1947,

Progressive Artists’ Group’s members included M

F Husain, S H Raza, H A Gade, K H Ara, S K Bakre.

In 1997, to coincide with a retrospective on the

group completing 50 years at National Gallery of

Modern Art, noted film maker K. Bikram Singh

made a documentary on PAG highlighting its

contribution while also making a case of the

challenging circumstances its members faced for

promoting their respective art. Lack of funding,

few patrons, and even fewer venues to display

their art were some of the problems faced by the

group as mentioned in the documentary. Featuring

in-depth interviews with Husain, Souza, Gade,

Khanna, Bakre, Raza, along with art experts such

as Ebrahim Alkazi, Yashodhara Dalmia, Pranab

Ranjan Ray, among others, the film is relevant in

that it encapsulates the trajectory of the group,

how it began, how it sustained itself before dissolving

in 1956.

 

Art Appreciation Workshop / by Kishore Singh & Yamini

Telkar in India Modern

Oct 14, 2017

Gallery, Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh

Workshop for media persons covering art and culture

DAG Modern and Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi organised daylong

art appreciation workshops\seminars comprising five

sessions, as part of the one month exhibition, ‘India Modern:

Narratives from 20th Century Indian Art.’ The sessions,

for media persons covering art and culture, corporate

persons, bureaucrats and art lovers, were held by Kishore

Singh and Yamini Telkar. The aim of the workshops was to

give an understanding of modern art and equip people in

responsible positions, who could help shape the future of

art in the country, with the ability to appreciate art through

a series of sessions and interactions. During the workshop

critical aspects dealing with art were discussed, such as

nudity in art, potential for careers in the field, investing

in art versus collecting art and the efforts involved in

selling an art piece. The session also gave a background

of the origin of Indian art and the role it has played in

Nationalism, its movements, styles and the development of

genres such as portraiture, landscapes, still-life, abstracts

and the importance of spirituality in aesthetic narratives.

 

[email protected]

 Artists represented in the exhibition:
J Sultan Ali, Ambadas, K H Ara, Prabhakar Barwe, Dhanraj Bhagat
Bikash Bhattacharjee, Jyoti Bhatt, Nandalal Bose, Eric Bowen
Avinash Chandra, Sankho Chowdhury, Prodosh Dasgupta
Sunil Das, Sunayani Devi , Rajendra Dhawan, Gopal Ghose
Gogi Saroj Pal, Laxma Goud, Bimal Dasgupta, Himmat Shah
M F Husain, Krishen Khanna, P Khemraj, Devyani Krishna
Ram Kumar, Laxman Pai, Hemen Mazumdar
Rabin Mondal, Jeram Patel , Sohan Qadri , Shyamal Dutta Ray
S H Raza, Jamini Roy, Prosanto Roy, G R Santosh, Bireswar Sen
Paritosh Sen, Satish Sinha, F N Souza, J Swaminathan
Rabindranath Tagore

Images of the Exhibition and the Talk by Yamini telkar: