Write Angle

An exhibition brings together 50 years of Prodosh Das Gupta8217;s art

1943. Kolkata was Calcutta and the Howrah Bridge was still under construction. Indian art was still to find a place in the global art map, but in Kolkata a small group of artists were making an attempt to internationalise Indian art. The members included amid others, Prodosh Das Gupta in the picture, a young graduate from Calcutta University who studied sculpture at The Royal Academy of Arts, London, but came back to India to pursue art. He passed away in 1994, but more than a decade hence Kumar Gallery is celebrating his work and paying tribute to him through a retrospective. Comprising over 80 works, including sculptures and drawings, the exhibition that will open today is accompanied with a book that documents 50 years of his art. 8220;This was much needed. He is one of the finest artists and there is hardly any material available on him,8221; states Virendra Kumar Jain, founder director, Kumar Gallery, who has spent the last few years shortlisting important artworks of Gupta from the gallery collection, and approaching private collectors to lend their work for the retrospective. 8220;We wanted to include his significant works,8221; he adds.

Prodosh Das Gupta8217;s sons Prabuddha and Pradeep are well known photographers. As he flips through the pages of the book, looking at photographs of Prodosh Das Gupta8217;s work taken by his son Pradeep, Jain points out that the text comes from those who closely followed Prodosh8217;s art and each of them deal with different aspects of his work. While Keshav Malik describes his persona and gives a glimpse into his influences, Aruna Bhowmick gives a detailed analysis of particular works, from First Born 1946 to Suryamukhi 1978. They compare his work to international masters like Leonardo da Vinci and Brancusi. And even though the essays may be bereft of innumerable anecdotes, Prodosh8217;s writings, where he describes his own work and the process of conceptualisation, give a deeper insight into his work and thinking. 8220;He is one of the few artists who can actually describe each of his work,8221; notes Jain. That the exhibition comes less than a month after Prodosh8217;s companion in the Calcutta Group, Paritosh Sen, passed away is meanwhile mere coincidence.

The exhibition at Kumar Gallery, Sunder Nagar, will go on till November 15. Contact: 24358875