With the peak of the summer underway in Europe, join us on a unique trip through the continent, guided by eminent Indian artists including Souza, Raza, and more. We’ll take you to England, explore France, and spend a night in Italy before moving east to Greece and Hungary.
Read more ›Shradha Ramesh takes a leap into the past to reveal the men behind the Modern Indian Art movement
New York: The trailblazer collection by Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), Progressive Artist Group, is now on display in Kalaghoda, Mumbai, from October 26, 2013 to December 25, 2013.A visual repertoire of 30,000 works the exhibit follows a retrospective theme of the Progressive Artists’ Group (PAG). Mumbai was the epicenter for this group that started in 1947, the exhibit is aptly located in the city the group was formed.
Photo Courtesy: KalaRasa Art House
PROGRESSIVE ARTIST GROUP (PAG) | MUMBAI 1948 First show inaugurated by Sir Cowasji Jehangir
(L to R: Emmanuel Schelinger, F N Souza, M B Gade, S Bakre, K H Ara, S H Raza, M F Hussain, Anant Kannangi)
PAG saw the light of visual maestros such as F N Souza, SH Raza, MF Husain, SK Bakre, HA Gade and KH Ara who rule the modern art market today. The other members who joined later were Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, Krishen Khanna and Mohan Samant.The group introduced anarchic thinking that leaned towards Indian avant-garde expression that introduced Indian art at an international level. It broke away from the nationalistic revival canons introduced by Bengal School of art and engaged in freedom of creation. Influenced by European modernism the group’s style is vast and ranges from Cubism to Abstract Expressionism. The founding pillars of the Progressive Artist Group (PAG) are Francis Newton Souza, Sayed Haider Raza and Maqbool Fida Husain.
FRANCIS NEWTON SOUZA | Untitled|a) c.1965 b) 1997
Goan born artist, Francis Newton Souza was recognized both in India and abroad. His artworks are known to be forthright and individualistic stylistic rendition of semi-abstract forms. The human forms in his works are unrealistic with multiple eyes and hands it created a sensation during his time. When asked about western influence in his work, he responded saying “Renaissance painters painted men and women making them look like angels. I paint for angels, to show them what men and women really look like.”
SYDER HAIDER RAZA| Maa…|2006
Sayed Haider Raza is known to introduce Bindhu to a new visual medium. On his canvas the Bindhu takes a new meaning, it creates a transcendental and enticing impact on the viewers. When asked about the Bindhu and its significance in his work, Raza said “For me, Bindu is a point where I concentrate, my energy, my mind. It has become like Bhagvat Gita, Swadharm and all that. You have to fix your energy on one thing and not ten things. If you go to ten directions, it’s distraction of energy. I think one woman is enough (laughs).If you say Ram Ram Ram and Allah Allah Allah, you will get confused. So one god is enough. For me Bindu has never done the same thing. There is logic in every abstract form that I make. My work is like poetry and it should create a different atmosphere for the visitor. Poetry, literature and art seem simple but it is very difficult to understand it.” Coincidentally, Saffronart’s winter online auction this December is focusing on SH Raza.
MAQBOOL FIDA HUSAIN|ETERNAL MOTHER
Picasso of India, Maqbool Fida Husain (MF Hussain) is known to have revolutionized the painting in India with his hallmark works that capture the quintessence of his subjects, like Mother Teresa and the characters of epics like the Mahabharata. MF Husain explains about his Mother Teresa series, “I have tried to capture in my paintings what her presence meant to the destitute and the dying, the light and hope she brought by mere inquiry, by putting her hand over a child abandoned in the street. I did not cry at this encounter. I returned with so much strength and sadness that it continues to ferment within. That is why I try it again and again, after a gap of time, in a different medium” (as quoted in Ila Pal, Beyond the Canvas: An Unfinished Portrait of M.F. Husain, South Asia Books, New Delhi, 1994).
DAG was started by Rama Anand in 1993 and later was taken over by his son Ashish Anand. The gallery in Mumbai is 150 years old in artsy neighborhood that suits the overarching theme of the exhibit. To experience the peregrination of Modern Indian Art visit DAG Mumbai.
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Devika Monga of Saffronart on Pratham UK and Saffronart’s third fundraising collaboration, ARTiculate 2012
London: We kick started October by hosting a preview for ARTiculate 2012, a collaborative venture to raise funds for Pratham’s literacy programs in India, in our London gallery. Pratham, which means ‘first’ in Hindi, was founded in Mumbai by UNICEF in 1994 to address the issue of illiteracy amongst India’s children.
S.H. Raza, Pulvari, Acrylic on canvas pasted on paper, 2005, 10 x 3.5 in
A non-governmental organization, Pratham brings together village communities, governmental agencies, corporate sponsors and young volunteers to promote literacy and vocational training and to eradicate child labour. Through its ‘Read India Program’, Pratham has managed to change the lives of over 35 million children in India. Pratham UK, which was launched to focus on fundraising in the country, hosts ARTiculate each year along with Saffronart as part of this effort.
This edition of ARTiculate, curated by Smriti Rajgarhia, is titled ‘Into the Looking Glass’ and aspires to engage viewers in a ‘philosophical dialogue’ with the art on display.
T. Vaikuntam, Untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 35 x 23 in
It features an array of artworks by the best of both modern and contemporary Indian artists. The show includes works like Thota Vaikuntam’s painting of a Telangana group in rich colours celebrating the culture of South India, and Krishen Khanna’s canvas depicting a bandwallah or musician. S.H. Raza’s work ‘Phulvari’ represents the artist’s celebration of nature and its elements, particularly water, and Satish Gujral’s popular ‘man and horse’ pairing addresses themes of captivity and freedom.
In the contemporary section, some of the artworks include a print of high rise buildings by Pooja Iranna, a pair of psychedelic works by Ketna Patel offering a tongue-in-cheek take on the street culture of India, and Farhad Hussain’s Dance of Consumption, portraying human and animal figurines in vibrant colours and many more.
K. Patel, a) I am a goddess b) Pipe Dreams, Screen Prints on Acrylic, 2012, 39.5 x 39.5 in
ARTiculate sets to both commemorate Indian art and culture and contribute to a noble cause. This year’s exhibition offers works by some of the best known Indian artists, and is an absolute treat for young collectors and philanthropists.
P. Iranna, Untitled, Digital Print on Archival Paper, 54 x 71.5 in
The preview, which was held on Tuesday at our gallery in London, was very lively and eventful. The works will also be displayed at the Pratham Gala, which is the highlight of their annual calendar and attended by some the United Kingdom’s most well known personalities and leading figures from various fields.
The works will be on display at our London gallery till this weekend, so come and pay us a visit, and support Pratham and their wonderful cause.