Of an era gone by

The biannual show, Manifestations, being held in the capital traces India?s tryst with art during the 20th century, and features works by artists like FN Souza, MF Husain & SH Raza

It is almost impossible to define 20th century art; straitjacket it within structured norms and regulated tenets. A period when numerous artists subjected traditional concepts to critical scrutiny, repudiated past conventions and precedents, it was a discursive phase in art historicity. From Fauvism to Cubism and Primitivism to Dadaism, artists pushed the line across the plane into real space, questioning the relation between the object of art and the world. This subsequently opened the inner world of the imagination, offering seemingly infinite possibilities for exploration.

Indian artists in the late 19th century and the early 20th century were also seized by this desire to explore, to establish their own oeuvre. They attempted to develop a vernacular visual language, sometimes, by rejecting Western art absolutely or utilising Western Modernism, albeit yoked to the Indian subject matter. Attempting to examine this further, tease out the complexities and delineate art in India in the past century is Manifestations, Delhi Art Gallery?s biannual show, in its seventh edition. According to Kishore Singh, Delhi Art Gallery?s publication and exhibition head, the strongest mainstay of Indian art, which differentiated it from the West, has been aesthetics. He says ?Indian artists never detached themselves from aesthetics. From the Bengal School of Art, the Bombay Progressive Artists? Group to the Baroda Group, those who started with inspiration from the West, experimented with different movements, but eventually developed their own style. The resonances remained strongly Indian?their nuances, symbolism, environment.?

The exhibition has 79 works by 75 artists, both familiar and relatively unknown, from different eras of the past century and from many states, including Jogen Chowdhury, Laxma Goud, Ganesh Haloi, Ved Nayar, FN Souza, MF Husain, SH Raza and KK Hebbar. ?

Singh says sorting through the gallery?s colossal collection of more than 30,000 works to organise this exhibition has been no mean feat. ?The process of selection and elimination is a difficult exercise. We wanted to put together works, which represent the peak of the artists, different from their acknowledged styles. We pick an iconic or rare work of the artist,? he adds.

Manifestations features works that traverse geographical boundaries, periods of time or movements, yet they are linked by the importance they hold in documenting the legacy of Indian art. Although this show has a significant collection of rarely seen archival pieces, of extreme significance is the inclusion of a rare landscape painting by Nicholas Roerich of the Himalayas. Holy Refuge is austere yet dramatic in its depiction of snow-capped mountains with heavy religious tones. Against the backdrop of a yellow sky, a statue of Buddha, with pilgrims paying homage at his feet is conspicuous, yet blends seamlessly with the entire frame. Another very rare landscape painting being exhibited is an untitled work by Jamini Roy. Extraordinary and important, for it was done in the initial stages of Roy?s artistic journey; before he made his transition to folk-based art to articulate a new vernacular tradition. Devoid of any human presence the painting portrays a typical mountain view, done in bold strokes of the brush in hues of blues, yellows and whites.? ?

One of the many highlights of Manifestations VII is Mukul Dey?s limited-edition published volume of twenty signed drypoints, Indian Life and Legends. From realistic portraits of village life scenes to etchings of religious subjects, the collection offers a peek into the artist?s unique technique and great skill.?

Also part of the exhibition is a magnificent Biren De. Painted in 1983, this untitled oil on canvas is an imagery of exquisite stillness, a tour de force of his virtuosic mastery over colour. A precursor of tantra, De?s works have always made an effort to render colour as light, as depicted in the work exhibited at the gallery.

Sohan Qadri is another artist known for his inimitable tantra-inspired work. However, on display at the exhibition is a cityscape of Chandigarh. A composition of closely-cramped buildings, with face-like features, this is Qadri?s critique of how modernity has denuded people living in cities of space. Or perhaps he has the ability to limn a futuristic scene of how our societies could turn out to be.

Representing the Progressive Artists? Group in the exhibition are stalwarts like MF Husain, S H Raza, HA Gade and FN Souza. Husain?s untitled piece of Rajasthani mosaic is yet another unique representation of the feminine form. The work has three heads of women placed one top of the other in a column, possibly symbolising three generations of women.

For the first time, the gallery is showcasing the work of Pakistani artist Sadequain. In his 1976 work, he pays an ode to Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, while illustrating his famous verse Bol ke lab azad hain tere (Speak, for your lips are free).

Sculptors in the exhibition are being represented by masters like Ramkinkar Baij, DP Roy Chowdhury, Chintamoni Kar, Tarak Garai and G Ravinder Reddy.

Manifestations VII is on view at the Delhi Art Gallery, Hauz Khas, till June, 2012.