A Legend Passes Away: Mrinalini Mukherjee

February 10, 2015

Rashmi Rajgopal tries rebuilding the image of the artist and sculptor and asks readers to add in their pieces as well

A photo of Mrinalini Mukherji by Manisha Gera Baswani

How do you create an image of someone you have never met before in your life? Instinct would drive you to read about this person, or speak with people who knew her. But if you’re looking for something more impactful, simply attend a memorial service being held for that person.

On Friday, February 6, visitors flooded the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi in remembrance of acclaimed artist and sculptor Mrinalini Mukherjee. The NGMA, currently holding a retrospective titled “Transfigurations: The Sculpture of Mrinalini Mukherjee”, held a memorial service for the artist who, aged 65, had succumbed to a prolonged lung problem last Monday. Among those who spoke fondly of her were Professor Rajeev Lochan, director of the NGMA; Peter Nagy, curator of the ongoing retrospective; critic Geeta Kapur; and some of the artist’s close friends whose messages were read out during the service. As Professor Lochan put it, “It was a tragic irony that Mrinalini was hospitalised just a day before the opening of the solo exhibition and that she could not see the impact it had made on art lovers.”

A photo of Mrinalini Mukherji by Manisha Gera Baswani

It’s possible that visitors at the memorial were drawn there owing to a deep sense of respect for the artist and her work. It’s possible that some among them were present out of curiosity and, perhaps, were in the dark about the artist. Who was Mrinalini Mukherjee? Why did she matter? What legacy did she leave behind?

For those who knew her, Mrinalini was a woman with a powerful personality, and an emblem for women artists carving their paths in the art world. Over the phone, artist Shukla Sawant spoke of how revolutionary Mrinalini was, as an artist and person. “She had an astonishing personality and lived life on her own terms. For my generation of artists, I think this is very important,” said Shukla.

Mrinalini came from a lineage of artists. Born in 1949 to the illustrious artist pair Binodebehari and Leela Mukherjee, Mrinalini did not let their success overshadow her career, and grew to become a fearless and unconventional artist. She studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda (1965-1970). While there, she discovered hemp fibre and it featured frequently in her sculptures. By choosing to use this unusual medium, often dyed in vibrant shades, she imbued her works with a rare sensitivity and grace of form.

Van Raja (King of the Forest), 1991-1994, Collection: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
Part of “Transfigurations: The Sculpture of Mrinalini Mukherjee”
Courtesy: The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Aranyani, 1996, Collection: Jhaveri Contemporary & Nature Morte
Part of “Transfigurations: The Sculpture of Mrinalini Mukherjee”
Courtesy: The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Vruksha Nata, 1991-92, Collection: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
Part of “Transfigurations: The Sculpture of Mrinalini Mukherjee”
Courtesy: The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Works like Vana Raja, Aranyani, and Vruksha Nata offer a window into the artist’s meticulous mind. With incredible attention to detail, Mrinalini has breathed into them a striking semblance to organic motifs. Every fold and contour has a restrained elegance, yet appears robust.

While hemp carried with it a certain flexibility, she also worked with ceramic and bronze. Her choice of mediums symbolised a gamut of personalities. Ceramic offers a brittle resilience, and bronze possesses a more obstinate strength in its form and nature. Mrinalini’s sculptures were sensuous: they drew from organic forms and resembled plant motifs, but also bore strong sexual undercurrents. She opened a new avenue through her choices and imparted each work with a layered personality.

Forest Flame IV, Bronze, 2009, Collection: Jhaveri Contemporary & Nature Morte
Part of “Transfigurations: The Sculpture of Mrinalini Mukherjee”
Courtesy: The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Orange & Green, 2000, Ceramic, Collection: Jhaveri Contemporary & Nature Morte
Part of “Transfigurations: The Sculpture of Mrinalini Mukherjee”
Courtesy: The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Matrix 4, 2006, Bronze, Collection: Jhaveri Contemporary & Nature Morte
Part of “Transfigurations: The Sculpture of Mrinalini Mukherjee”
Courtesy: The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Flora (light), 2000, partially glazed ceramic, Collection: Mirchandani & Steinruecke
Part of “Transfigurations: The Sculpture of Mrinalini Mukherjee”
Courtesy: The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

“Transfigurations…” features some remarkable sculptures and encapsulates the legacy she has left behind. Her works are also part of many renowned collections both in India and abroad, such as the NGMA in New Delhi, Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal, the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi, the Chandigarh State Museum, and the Tate Modern in London.

Mrinalini’s image is far from complete. If you’re reading this, do acquaint yourself with her works and add in your own pieces. We may never get close to building a complete picture – the task is too monumental. But we would be adding to a bigger, richer memory of what she aimed to show the world.

NAINA KANODIA- CHRONICLING CONTEMPORARY INDIA

October 28, 2013

Kanika Pruthi of Saffronart explores the fantastical world of Naina Kanodia’s works and highlights the artist’s commitment to the genre of L’Art Naif

Naina Kanodia, Mumtaz Mahal, 2009, Oil on Canvas, 48 x 36 in.
Image Credit: http://www.breathearts.com/Public/ArtWorkDispFixedSale.aspx?htmlurl=124$178

New York: Indian artist Naina Kanodia’s fantastical works seem to celebrate the simplicity of mundane everyday lives of people all over India. A first glance invokes a sense of cheer and gaiety, the color palette induce a celebratory aura while the imagery, laden with patterns and details, invite the gaze to hover all over the painting. But an understanding of Kanodia’s artistic choices and larger discourse reveals complex and intriguing ways to further delve into her works.

An economist turned painter, Kanodia is one of the few Indian artists committed to the genre of L’Art Naif, also known as Naïve Art. One of the early and internationally recognized practitioners of this genre was Henri Rousseau, the French Post-Impressionist painter. Naïve Art is characterized by a simplistic, even childlike, depiction of everyday life. The dismissal of visual perspective, use of vibrant hues, plethora of patterns and emphasis on details lend the works the feel of a storybook. But it is by employing these visual devices that the artist constructs a commentary on the contemporary lifestyle of their times. A closer investigation reveals how these scenes explore complex societal dilemmas and changes.

Kanodia’s works display a commitment to Indianess in its use of colors, patterns and themes. Her discourse focuses on the dichotomy of contemporary India- with deep rooted traditions that coexist with a constant influx of western influence. The artist aims to incorporate the confluence of these two distinct tangents that exist simultaneously in her immediate surroundings.

Kanodia uses a variety of media- pastels, watercolors and oils. The characteristic color palette associated with her works results from a four layer technique employed by the artist. This method helps her to control the hue and opacity of colors in her works, avoiding a sensory overload. Her dexterity to achieve a balanced palette of vibrant colors evidences her superior skills in handling a variety of mediums.

Naina Kanodia, Me and My Boyfriend, 2009, Oil on Canvas, 48 x 36 in.
Image Credit: http://www.breathearts.com/Public/ArtWorkDispFixedSale.aspx?htmlurl=124$181

Another characteristic feature of Kanodia’s oeuvre is the patterns she employs to populate her scenes. These are not random decorative features but rather the key that reveals the narrative in her works. Certain flowers bring to mind Ara’s work while a view of a room references Van Gogh’s own bedroom – elements interjected into an urban Indian living space, pointing towards the global lifestyle of the occupants. There are paintings that show works of renowned painters alongside images of India’s burgeoning urban elites- perhaps referencing their exuberant lifestyle with easy access to the finer things in life.

Naina Kanodia, Success, 2012, Oil on Canvas, 46 x 36 in.
Image Credit: http://www.artnet.com/auctions/artists/naina-kanodia/success

The artist has held several group shows and solo exhibitions since the mid 1980s. Her works are included in several Indian and international museums and collections including the prestigious National Gallery of Modern Art in India and Musee International d’Art Naif in Paris. The continued relevance of Kanodia’s works can be attributed to the wit and gentle satire she has mastered to capture the contemporary nuances of the many Indias that coexist together.

Indian Printmaking Exhibition at NGMA Bangalore

May 3, 2013

Tarika Agarwal of Saffronart on an exhibition in Bangalore that documents trends in Indian printmaking over the last 100 years

Bangalore: The National Gallery of Modern Art, Bangalore, has organized a month-long exhibition on Indian printmaking in the city. The exhibition opened on April 28, 2013, and will continue till the end of May.

The exhibition is titled ‘Between the Lines’, and has been curated by Lina Vincent Sunish, an art historian from Bangalore. The exhibition is mainly based on Indian prints from the private collection of Waswo X. Waswo that document the trends in Indian printmaking over the last 100 years. Waswo is an artist hailing from Wisconsin, USA, who now lives in India, and has a special interest in Indian printmakers and their work.

The opportunity to view works from a private collection is bound to raise interest within art circles. Art collectors are the ones who ultimately drive the market as well as dictate future trends. When an public institution as important as the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) decides to go ahead with an exhibition displaying a private collection of Indian prints, be assured that it will be a comprehensive show as well as a learning experience.

The exhibition tells the complete story of Indian printmaking through a variety of printing techniques on display, including etchings, lithographs, woodcuts and serigraphs. Programs have been designed to help the general public as well as artists and students understand Indian history through these prints. What makes the show a ‘must-visit’ is the timeline of the collection. While some of the prints date back to 1917, the more contemporary prints count some as recent as 2012. There are about 152 works by 79 artists displayed from the collection.

This exhibition was first held at the Visual Arts Gallery of the India Habitat Centre in Delhi, which we blogged about here. It is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue titled ‘Between the Lines: Identity, Place, and Power – Selections from the Waswo X. Waswo Collection of Indian Printmaking‘.

Memorial for Four Legends – Ganesh Pyne, Bal Chhabda, Rajendra Dhawan & Jagmohan Chopra

March 19, 2013

Manjari Sihare shares details of memorial to be held for Ganesh Pyne, Bal Chabbda, Rajendra Dhawan and Jagmohan Chopra at the NGMA, Delhi

New Delhi: The National Gallery of Modern Art, the Lalit Kala Akademi and the Ministry of Culture, Government of India are holding a memorial for four Legendary Masters – Bal Chhabda, Jagmohan Chopra, Rajendra Dhawan and Ganesh Pyne on March 20, 2013 at 5:30 pm at the NGMA, New Delhi. It is great to see that two institutions, the NGMA and the Lalit Kala Akademi, are coming together to mourn the loss and celebrate the lives and work of three great Indian artists. Please do attend if you are in Delhi.

The World Mourns the Loss of a Legend

March 19, 2013

Tarika Agarwal of Saffronart on Indian modern artist Ganesh Pyne

Mumbai: Ganesh Pyne passed away at the age of 76 after suffering a heart attack on March 12, 2013, at a private hospital in Kolkata, India. A well known and critically acclaimed modern Indian painter, Pyne was acknowledged to be a pioneer among second-generation Indian modernists, who took over from early path breakers like M.F. Husain and F.N. Souza.

Ganesh Pyne was famously described a ‘an artist’s artist, a philosopher’s philosopher and a master fantasist of them all’, and received several awards and accolades for his work, which has been exhibited around the world including in Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Paris, London, Washington DC and Berlin.

Pyne will always be remembered as a pioneer of the Bengal School of Art and a pillar of Indian modernism. A scholar, master draughtsman and accomplished painter, Pyne’s loss will be felt deeply. His intricate drawings and delicately layered tempera paintings reflected a personal mythology shaped from his experiences growing up and living in Kolkata, and have always resonated with collectors of modern Indian art.

Although the artistic community lost someone very important to the evolution and development of modern Indian art, Pyne’s memory shall live on through his work for generations to come.

State of the Art

Posts tagged with National Gallery of Modern Art

A Legend Passes Away: Mrinalini Mukherjee

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NAINA KANODIA- CHRONICLING CONTEMPORARY INDIA

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Indian Printmaking Exhibition at NGMA Bangalore

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Memorial for Four Legends – Ganesh Pyne, Bal Chhabda, Rajendra Dhawan & Jagmohan Chopra

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The World Mourns the Loss of a Legend

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