 |
San Diego Museum BalboaPark |
Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose
San Diego Museum of Art celebrates India with an exhibition of Nandalal Bose’s works from February 23 to May 18, 2008. San Diego based writer Sonali Soni gives a report on the show.
“Rhythms of India” is a brilliant collaboration of the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) with the government of India and the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. This exhibition explores the crucial period of India’s transition from a British colony to an independent nation through the brush strokes of Nandalal Bose. This is the first time this collection was allowed to leave Asia.
SDMA has organized an Indian Film Festival in conjunction with this exhibition. Satyajiy Ray’s Films like the Two Daughters (1961), Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha) (1968,) The River (1951). An interesting choice of film like Born into Brothels: Calcutta’s Red Light Kids (2004) by directors Zana Briski’s and Ross Kauffman will also be shown.
A series of lectures were conducted to compliment this exhibition like” Tea with Tagore” by Historian Jan Butterfield. The Influence and legacy of Nandalal Bose through a symposium “Rethinking Nandalal: Asian Modernism and Nationalist Discourse” Participants in this symposium will include the distinguished scholars Tapati Guha-Thakurta and Partha Mitter.
“The Dance Dramas of Tagore”- is a Rabindrasangeet performance by vocalist Sharmila Roy to explore the foundation of Bengali ethos and to commemorate Tagore.
In addition to commemorating an eclectic collection of fine works of some of the great Indian masters, this exhibition was like a history lesson – “India 101” with its audio visual displays of the rise of Indian nationalism, Gandhi, colonial India, and India’s struggle for freedom. This audio visual display was definitely a distracting part, as it took away from the essence of this fine art.
The journey begins with two of my favorite works of Abanindranath Tagore, “My Mother” and “Journeys End” that kick starts this show.
Displayed also were pieces from the San Diego Museum of Art’s own Edwin Binney 3rd collection. Works of the Company School artist Sheikh Muhammad Amir of Karraya, and also works from the Kalighat School.
Then we move on to a scene from the Mahabharata of Krishna and Dhrishtrashtra by Raja Ravi Varma to show us the emergence of “Modern Art in India” rather as a search for New Indian Art as was displayed.
This expansive range of works of Nandalal Bose is a feast for the senses. Works from his inspiration from Ramayana and the Mahabharatha, Buddha's stories, Goddess Kali like “Birth of Chaitanya,” “Radha in the grove,” The history lesson continues with lessons on Sati and Hindu Iconography and other socio - political and religious conditions prevalent.
Paintings like the “Mother and Child” “Woman Cooking” exhibit boldness, vigor and strong decorative qualities and linear expression of the life of the common people.
Nandalal Bose’s shift in his style and his influence of the rural Bengali 'pata' his vibrant depictions of village life are alive in the 'Haripura-Posters'’ depicting the rural folk and their activities for the Indian National Congress session in 1938. A strong move towards acknowledging the folk art idiom as having relevance for contemporary times.
His skillful combination of stylization with the realistic pinnacled in the 'Natir-Puja Murals' in its preparatory drawings. These preparatory drawings were also on display to at the museum.
The next group of paintings on exhibit features twenty-eight significant works from Nandalal’s sumi-e period influence, “Darjeeling Fog -1945,” “Evening-1947.” The exhibition covers Bose’s smaller works and sketches.
The exhibition closes with approximately twenty works by artists who were inspired by or were students of Nandalal, “The Legacy of Nandalal Bose” featuring works of M.A.R. Chughtai (Holi 1956), Yuriko Lochan (Garden at Night), Devi Prasad Roy Chowdhury (When Rain Comes 1959), A Ramachandran (Song of a Simbul Tree 2001), Atul Dodiya (trees 1999), KG Subramanyam (Terracotta, Fairy tales of Purva Palli), Benodebehari Mukherjee (Laughter 1992) and Ramkinkar Baij.
To sum up the “Indian 101” was information about the Indian flag, Gandhi, the national anthem, socio political information on India pre and post Independence. A collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore were available for the public to read.
To epitomize this exhibition a spring festival was held, an afternoon filled with “Henna Designs”, “Rangoli rice powder painting “and Indian music and dance performances. Sari and Yoga demonstrations were also held alongside the storytelling in the galleries!
This truly was not just an art exhibition called “The Rhythms of India” it was “India 101”.
No comments:
Post a Comment