Search results for: 'Partha pratim dev art'

Are the histories of art and fashion distinct from each other? Even a cursory glimpse at the contemporary art landscape—on view during occasions such as the India Art Fair, 2023—tells us otherwise. Fabrics, textiles and weaving practices are being increasingly incorporated into the body of works produced by artists today. They bring with them a host of connotations, historical narratives and sensorial memories that working with other media does not. Uthra Rajgopal, a curator and collection adviser for museums, spoke with DAG briefly on the practice of collecting textiles for museums, their historical significance as artworks as well as trading commodities from South Asia, and how contemporary artists are responding to this complex colonial legacy through their own interventions.  

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Artist and institution-builder Shuvaprasanna’s residence is located in a leafy corner of Kolkata’s suburban township, Bidhannagar or ‘Salt lake City’, which was envisaged by the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy in the late 1950s. Having grown up elsewhere—in College Street, in fact—the artist only moved here in 2002-03 with his family, which included his wife and fellow-artist, Shipra Bhattacharya. In this photo-essay we will learn about Shuvaprasanna’s personal collection and the relationship between his collecting practices and his art-making.

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'Iconic Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art, Edition 2' opened on 11 February, featuring fifty artworks which shaped the trajectory of pre-modern and modern art in the country. As part of the exhibition, Tapati Guha-Thakurta discusses Nandalal Bose seminal role in cultivating a new ethos of art practice at Kala Bhavan and reflects on his untitled work commonly known as ‘The Artist’s Studio’ drawn in the caricaturist mode. Learn More

India’s foremost printmaker, Anupam Sud is perhaps also the country’s most well-known. What has tethered her to the democratic medium of printmaking—against all odds, needless to say—is a reason worth discovering in this short video in which the artist muses over her motivations and practice. Learn More

Shobha Broota is often described as among the most enigmatic artists of her generation. Her strength lies in ‘simplicity’, which she has used dexterously to explore the most complex of subjects in her art, making her a pioneer in choosing abstraction when very few women artists of India were doing so. Learn More

The Story of Bengal Art presents a panoramic view of the evolution of visual arts in the region. The second episode, presented by Prof. Tapati Guha-Thakurta, picks up at the turn of the 20th century, when Bengal became an important nerve-centre of India's nationalist movement. The series was shot in the majestic galleries of DAG's Ghare Baire museum-exhibition at Kolkata's Currecy Building.

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The Story of Bengal Art presents a panoramic view of the evolution of visual arts in the region. The story of the first episode, presented by artist, academic, and curator, Dr. Paula Sengupta, begins in the late 18th century with the arrival of the first European traveling artists. The series was shot in the majestic galleries of DAG's Ghare Baire museum-exhibition at Kolkata's Currency Building. Learn More

A great admirer of Indian modernist Rabin Mondal's works and curator of ‘Kingdom of Exile, a major retrospective on the artist, Kishore Singh of DAG is joined by Ina Puri, documentarian, collector and an old acquaintance of the artist as, together, they explore the circumstances of Mondal’s painterly life, particularly his vaunted King Series. A set of eight powerful paintings on the theme and hubris of power, now going on view at the upcoming Art Dubai 2022 Learn More

Have you wondered how people looked at paintings and photographs in the nineteenth century? For DAG’s annual Heritage Festival ‘The City as a Museum’, we explored various aspects of the city’s visual culture. As we are about to launch the DAG Journal let us revisit the walk co-led by Sarbajit Mitra and Amreeta Das at the Uttarpara Jaykrishna public library to delve into the periodical archive and trace the evolution of printed pictures in India. Flipping through the pages of these periodicals offered glimpses into the everyday habits of consuming art—from simple wood-cut and lithograph illustrations, to full plate colour reproductions of paintings and photographs, artist albums, and exquisitely ornate typography.

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Chittaprosad (1915 – 1978) was an artist of the people. A firm believer in the power of political art to bring tangible change in society, he is remembered for political cartoons and caricatures lampooning the ruling elite while championing the cause of the working class.

He was also a dedicated journalist working for the Communist Party of India (CPI) and was sent by the party to document the effects of the Great Bengal Famine of 1943 in Bengal’s villages and towns. He would come back with harrowing stories and sketches of hunger and death and publish them in the CPI’s journal People’s War, something that would prove to be extremely important in the face of British censorship on news about the famine.

Post-Independence, Chittaprosad distanced himself from the CPI due to ideological differences and moved to the outskirts of Bombay. He continued registering protest through his art but focussed increasingly on art for children. He setup a puppet studio, Khela-ghar and created beautiful retellings of epics and folk tales in print.

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As a region that is home to many religions and cultures, South Asia has been a fertile ground for art that blends different styles, ideas, and influences. Conquest, migration, or friendly exchange of cultural ideas and values—be it in the visual arts, food, or politics—all played a part in shaping the region as a melting pot of civilisations. Explore artworks that showcase this syncretic legacy from DAG's museum collection—starting with the early encounters with European realism, the pan-Asian influences on the Bengal School, and beyond.

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DAG’s emphasis for the 2019 edition of India Art Fair was a rarity—a selection of works of the kind visitors had not before seen. These included a glass mural by Avinash Chandra, a medium the artist loved but which had never before been shown in India; a large mural by Mrinalini Mukherjee; an artist’s chair by Prabhakar Barwe; evocative works by Hemendranath Mazumdar, Manjit Bawa, and Tyeb Mehta; powerful paintings by F. N. Souza, M. F. Husain, Rabin Mondal, and Krishen Khanna; exemplary abstract paintings by Ram Kumar, Shanti Dave, Sohan Qadri, J. Swaminathan, and G. R. Santosh; and other equally powerful artworks including a double-sided sculpture by Meera Mukherjee.

Avinash Chandra F N Souza G R Santosh Hemendranath Majumdar J Swaminathan Krishen Khanna M F Husain Madhvi Parekh Manjit Bawa Meera Mukherjee Mrinalini Mukherjee Paritosh Sen Prabhakar Barwe Rabin Mondal Ram Kumar S H Raza S K Bakre Shanti Dave Sohan Qadri Tyeb Mehta

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