Golden Oldies

One of the Delhi’s oldest galleries,Kumar Gallery has recently turned 55 and fittingly,the celebrations involve a journey into the last five decades of Indian art. The exhibition,called Celebration 2010,includes paintings and sculptures by 27 artists such as A Ramachandran,FN Souza,MF Husain,Krishen Khanna,Sakti Burman and Satish Gujral.

Sumit Kumar,Director of the gallery,says,“The exhibition brings together some of the country’s most accomplished post-Independence modern masters with contemporary artists.” Among the displays are KS Kulkarni’s paintings in which the calm hues of pastoral life merge with the travails of peasants caught in the vortex of a fast-changing world,Prodosh Das Gupta’s sculptures that depict his love for the body — of man,woman or tree,and the works of Sohan Qadri,a poet and abstractionist,who uses signs resembling tantrik and ritual symbolism to express moving energy or “shakti”.

Ashok Bhowmik’s ‘Bull and Bird’ series,on the other hand,are inspired by the Bronze Age and the Indus valley civilization. “The earliest cave paintings and coins had bull engravings on them. Bull symbolizes power,” he explains. In one work,a bird sits calmly on the head of a bull. “This proximity of force and the feeble teaches us a lesson of life,” he adds. In contrast,Paresh Maity’s work creates a web of fantasies and stories soaked in beauty and intrigue. He derives his inspiration from surrounding landscape,folk forms and contemporary life.

The exhibition is on till February 9 atKumar Gallery,56 Sundar Nagar Market.

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