Works of Mitranand Maithani to be displayed at Jehangir Art Gallery

Maithani had gone into a self-imposed exile in protest against the direction that the Indian art scene was moving towards in the eighties, nineties and most of the new millennium as it was diluting the Indian identity while promoting more of a Western orientation

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His view is that India is a rich source of imagination and creativity and the world would be better off if Indian painters did not copy the Occident—India in particular, and the Orient in general, was far richer, had a longer and much-varied cultural tradition.

In his words: “We are nothing if we don’t stick to our identity. The Western world has stuck to its customs and birthed many great artists. We have had great artists through the ages on the sub-continent and can have the same again if we are true to our nation’s magnificent heritage. The universe would be poorer if Indian painters did not drive the art scene based on their folklore, legends, conventions, beliefs. I have captured the essence of India, its people, its animals, its climate, its very soul and gave it physical embodiment with colours and canvas.”

From the mountains of Uttarakhand, to the hills of Himachal to the plains of Delhi, he has let his imagination’s wild horses run unbridled in choosing the subject matter of his paintings.

The framework that he visualized in his mind’s eye was huge, gargantuan even. There could not be a canvas big enough to paint it all. Ergo, the style that he developed had to be unique to capture all the finer points of the subjects that he was painting. As the noted art critic of the ‘60s, and ‘70s Charles Fabri said, “Very brilliant work on a very small canvas. He is India’s Paul Klee.”

All of this and more are there for the viewer to behold at the Jehangir Art Gallery on dates and time mentioned below.

Gallery No. 2

161/B, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Opp Elphinstone College Adj To Prince Of Wales Museum Kala G, Fountain

Mumbai, 400 001, India

Ph.: 9891236943, 9911083697

Date: Monday, 26th May to 1st June 2008

Time: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Sunday open)