When India was tearing away from the clutches of British imperialism, a distinct language in art was developing. It spoke of struggle and strife; tumult and triumph.
A new mixed vocabulary laden with the weight of colonisation on the one hand, and transition to a free India on the other, was being articulated. Instrumental in this were artists such as Jamini Roy, MF Husain, J Swaminathan, FN Souza, Akbar Padamsee, Jogen Chowdhury. One can now view their many expressions through a virtual exhibition called Timeless Treasures as part of Singapore Art Week (SAW) in Singapore.
The artistic body of 40 works comprises multivalent narratives from different periods through the Independence to the 1970s, and then from the 1970s till date. “From Husain’s fluidity to Raza’s focus on geometry, to Jamini Roy’s vibrant use of colours, the display is a full range.
It shows the viewer how each of these artists developed their novel style and came to be known for their distinct use of material,” says Saurabh Singhvi, the curator of the exhibition and also the director of Art Magnum, that together with Art Podium is presenting this showcase.
This is not the first-of-its-kind show and it won’t be the last but what it does is contextualise a piece of India’s significant past. In breaking away from art practices of the time of the Raj, these artists began upholding Indian ideals for the first time and offered perspectives influenced by the social environment they were set in. “As the Indian nationalist fervour grew vigorously, this community created their movement of resistance through visuals that spoke louder than words,” he says. From Jogen Chowdhury’s mix media on paper to use of oil by Ram Kumar to enamel and blowtorch on wood by Jeram Patel, each artwork traverses different mediums too. Expressions are equally diverse.
“While Husain uses colour and composition to depict a scene from his famous Luv Kush series, B Prabha uses texture and oil to depict Fisherwomen. Arup Das uses masterful detailing to depict a scene from his Christ series, and FN Souza uses simple lines to create his famous heads,” shares Singhvi. But before you view these works, he urges viewers to undertake a short study of each of the participating artists. Lending your mind to the study of their unique journeys will summarise their vision and emotion, aiding you to appreciate their intuitiveness. “Their mood and skill evolved over time.
The pieces may seem simplistic at first, but in reality, they are deeply rooted in a lifetime of experiences,” says the curator, who suggests that the National Gallery of Modern Art is a good place to start with to get a perspective. While sourcing genuine and unseen works of Indian masters is always a challenge, Singhvi was able to source these landmark works from private collections. The real challenge was in doing justice to their beauty through an online show. That is when he decided to upload videos of each artwork in addition to stills, so that viewers could get a deeper glimpse. What offered most comfort was that a virtual showcase would take these works to a wider audience and that was his steadfast motive.
“While Husain uses colour and composition to depict a scene from his famous Luv Kush series, B Prabha uses texture and oil to depict Fisherwomen.” Saurabh Singhvi, curator and director, Art Magnum