Works of Contemporary Artists

Atanu Basu

Birla Academy had hosted the exhibition of the works of contemporary artists in their 64th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Artists. There was a time when most of the modern artists in their exhibitions depicting the experiments, twists and turns, modernisation and contemporary aspects offered their viewers much food for thought. Now most of those stalwarts are no more. The Academy showcased 17 contemporary artists and displayed the heritage of modernism that they carried with the group.

For Ganesh Halui’s “untitled” and “4”, gouache on paper, nothing more can be said; he used various geometrical motifs in dark shades in his landscapes. Aditya Basak’s works on canvas in mixed media appeared to be sequels displayed as a series of some sort. His “sheep on yalk” animals donned joker caps. “Approaching the Unknown Territory” is brilliant. He turned out to be a master of detailing.

Two big paintings of Soumitra Khamrui, one in tempera on canvas and the other, tempera on board are excellent. “Untitled 2” undertakes a totally geometrical form and the other one had to take recourse to abstract form. Here also one would not miss the emergence of geometry, under the guise of bold fat line division. Two different moods are conveyed by his skillful use of interplay of fade light and shade. This kind of abstraction reminds one of the unavoidable influence of European school of abstraction. He created design, a distance by incorporating a dimensional form in his work.

DavivMalakar’s “Good night Calcutta I, II” in charcoal, crayon, and acrylic on hot pressed paper is simply beautiful. His search for lone existence had very aptly emerged by depicting the pain on one hand, and inner contradiction on the other. His inner eye, as if abstracted out the real as well as the unreal of the situation. He had created his canvas with red, vermillion, brown, black, yellow colours, with bright and shades, like an epic that was unfolding slowly. One tends to salute his thought process, technique, compositional sense and skill, along with his treatment of the subjects.

‘Flower Vases with a Difference” and “The Evening Landscape” by Manu Parekh are two extraordinary pieces of work. One might tend to describe them to be rather quite luminous, at the same time not very much illuminated, so to say. A young sapling, daring to raise her head in a background that varied between black and brown, conveyed a feeling of both isolation and germination- a truly brilliant exposition. His “Smell of Flower”, or “Petal”, a few hanging ones conveyed the feeling of a throbbing life. On the other hand, the leaf stalk or leaf bud in a vase, generated a fantastic flowering existence with just a few abstractions. Two oil paintings in oil on canvas board would undoubtedly turn out to be per excellent, because of its specific use of the colour–red.

A series was presented by Manaj Mitra in mixed media on black paper, consisting of eight small drawings. One might, for a moment think that they are illustrations, in reality though, they are far from it. It captured the tiny moments, articulated by white marker pen, dry and art pastel, dry brushwork, line, tone, texture—all of them depicted space and inversion must be mentioned as striking features. He conveyed an extremely dramatic events that had happened, manifesting clash, crisis to joy, fear, life be at rest on in the moving.

PradipMitra justifiably would remind about water colour with supreme excellence. That this is not an over statement, one would have easily realised if and when one would be privileged to view his “System 2 and 3”.

Niranjan Pradhan’s bronze sculpture, “Mother and Child” is very much a poetic exercise. Akhil Chandra Das’s realistic sculptures, “Headless”, “Durga”, “Untitled”, and “Goat” are all admirable from every point of view.

Late Nikhil Biswas had identified many a worth-mentioning features of modern Bengali art. The Bengali art and culture traversed many an evolutionary path to thrive as one sees it today. He repeatedly mentioned in no uncertain terms that “we must appraise our experiences in the light of the emergence of new ideas—this is the moot point of many persons who are into practising modern art”.

 The exhibition also included the works of BimalKundu, AtanuBhattacharyay, Atik Basakrikanyta, Srikanta Paul, Pankaj Panwar, Rajen Mandal, and Bholanath Rudra. The viewers would have certainly enjoyed the exhibition as a whole. 

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Vol 57, No. 10, Sep 1 - 7, 2024