This is an archive article published on November 11, 2019

Manu Parekh on referencing works of Western masters in his recent works and the drama in his art

His ongoing exhibition presented by Saffronart in Delhi comprises his recent works, where the modernist borrows from western masters.

6 min readUpdated: Nov 11, 2019 08:07 AM IST

Manu Parekh, Manu Parekh art exhibition, New Delhi art exhibition, art exhibitions in Delhi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Indian Express

Manu Parekh’s ongoing exhibition presented by Saffronart in Delhi comprises his recent works, where the modernist borrows from western masters.

One of India’s most celebrated modernists, artist Manu Parekh is known for his powerful landscapes and bold strokes. At 80, he follows the discipline of a craftsperson, spending hours at his studio. His ongoing exhibition presented by Saffronart in Delhi comprises his recent works, where the modernist borrows from western masters. He talks about his influences, Banaras as his muse and how artists should be willing to take risks. Excerpts:

This exhibition comes after your much-celebrated retrospective ‘Manu Parekh: 60 Years of Selected Works’ in 2018. If you could share your thoughts while making these works?

This set of works was influenced by the retrospective. During the exhibition, especially in Delhi, I would visit the venue almost everyday to study the work on display and the evolution. At times, when you are working, there are several complexes with regard to how will people react. I think one should do what they feel like. The critical analyses can come later, why fear when making the work. For instance, my works from the ’60s did not get the same appreciation then, that they have received at the exhibition. Artists should be willing to take risks.

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In this exhibition, you have made direct references to works of Western masters. Were you skeptical that some might look down upon them?

I take a lot of interest in art history. I openly admit that modern painting is a Western discipline, just like miniature came from us. Luckily in art college (Sir JJ School of Art), I got a professor like S Palsikar, who was a strict disciplinarian and taught us the techniques so well. Later, I also worked with several craftspeople while was working with the Handloom Board. From the Western masters, I learnt oil handling, the powerful strokes. In Western history, people have made direct references to past works. In India, we have this problem of ‘originality’ and try to hide any influence. Once Arshile Gorky (Armenian-American painter) told Willem de Kooning (Dutch-American artist), after viewing his work, ‘I think you are really interested in individuality’, and added, ‘If you run after originality, originality will run after you.’ Gorky would copy Picasso’s paintings to develop his own language. He was criticised for copying Western masters, but now he is reckoned as the father of New York School and abstract expressionism.

Were you always an admirer of Vincent van Gogh? In the exhibition, we see your interpretation of The Potato Eaters. You have Indianised the masterpiece.

For me, there were two van Gogh — the writer and the painter. I am a great admirer of his letter writing. When I visited Kalahandi in Odisha around 20 years ago, I immediately thought of The Potato Eaters. In my own work, I have replicated parts of it, including the lamp. Van Gogh was also influenced by others. Once Theo (his brother) was angry with van Gogh and told him that by looking at your work, I can tell you were with which artist the previous night. He would be so influenced.

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In the exhibition, we also see Banaras, a city you have been painting for years. What is it about the place that it has stayed with you for so long?

I first went to Banaras after my father’s death in 1980, and have revisited it innumerable times and am still happy to go there. It is so photogenic. It is called the ‘City of Light’, but after going there for so many years, I have realised that there are two kinds of light there — man-made and god-made. God-made is how the sky changes in every season. Man-made is how it is dressed with different lighting, decoration. There are so many layers and contradictions. In this exhibition, I have referenced well-known works for painting Banaras as well (including Paul Klee’s The Tree of Houses, Chaim Soutine’s Landscape with Figures-Ceret, Claude Monet’s San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk and pichwai paintings).

In the book accompanying the exhibition, you also write about your admiration for FN Souza.

I really admired two artists from the Progressive Artists’ Group — MF Husain and FN Souza. At one level, Souza did not get the recognition he deserved during his lifetime, so I feel his work is very deep. Souza would roam different places. I did the reverse and concentrated on one place.

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Painting is not like a Hindi film that releases on Friday and on Saturday-Sunday you know the film is a blockbuster. You need to work for a long time before you know you have been successful. I know this more, as I used to act earlier. There was a kick when the audience used to clap. It was a big decision for me to quit acting. To make a good work is in your hands, whether it is successful or not, you only come to know later.

We also see several heads in the current exhibition.

This series is influenced by what I did in theatre, which also shows in the Banaras series. I am influenced by set design. When someone saw the faces, they asked me if they were self-portraits, I said ‘no, but one actor is playing different roles’. The actor remains the same. When I paint a head, I paint the expression. When I paint expression, I don’t paint expression but create the situation on the face, what is happening around… India in a country with so many different faiths, contrast and contradictions and we should celebrate that.

The exhibition is on at Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, till November 11

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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