Search results for: 'Tantra on the edge: Inspirations and Experiments in 20th century India'

He was the colossus of the Indian art world whose reign over twentieth-century modern art remains unparalleled. M. F. Husain (1913-2011) was the face of Indian modernism and owned it completely. Having started out as a painter of billboards in Bombay, he became its unchallenged monarch as a member of the influential Progressive Artists’ Group in 1947. He claimed the first National Award instituted by the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1955, and went on to become India’s most celebrated artist. In a practice that spanned over seventy years, Husain was playful, experimental, provocative, controversial—but never mediocre.

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Indian art defies any easily tailored silos to carve for itself a confident assertion of its own identity within a global context, while being a part of its larger assimilative journey. it is this rich legacy of Indian modernism that we hope to explore with The Centum Series which opens a window to the tantalising glimpse of the extraoridnary depth and breadth of its scope and variety. Round numbers are attractive, so we picked one hundred as our choice for this medley of artists and artworks that offers you a unique opportunity to acquire Indian modern art at attractive prices specially tailored for this sale. J. Sultan Ali Altaf Ambadas Amit Ambalal Amitava Anonymous (Early Bengal) Anonymous (Kalighat Pat) Dattatraya Apte B. N. Arya Radha Charan Bagchi Ramkinkar Baij S. K. Bakre Maniklal Banerjee Ananda Moy Banerji Prabhakar Barwe R. B. Bhaskaran Jyoti Bhatt Bikash Bhattacharjee Nikhil Biswas Nandalal Bose Eric Bowen Shobha Broota Vasundhara Tewari Broota Sakti Burman Ramendranath Chakravorty Kanchan Chander Avinash Chandra Sankho Chaudhuri Chittaprosad Jagmohan Chopra Jogen Chowdhury M. A. R. Chughtai Thomas Daniell Arup Das Prodosh Das Gupta Haren Das Sunil Das Bimal Dasgupta Shanti Dave Partha Pratim Deb Jagadish Dey Mukul Dey Rajendra Dhawan Indra Dugar Gopal Ghose Nemai Ghosh Subba Ghosh Bipin Behari Goswami K. Laxma Goud Satish Gujral Ajit Gupta S. L. Haldankar Somnath Hore M. F. Husain Prokash Karmakar Sudhir Khastgir P. Khemraj Bose Krishnamachari K. S. Kulkarni Ram Kumar Walter Langhammer Pradip Maitra Hemanta Misra Dhruva Mistry Rabin Mondal A. H. Müller L. Munuswamy V. Nageshkar Reddeppa Naidu S. Nandagopal Ved Nayar Akbar Padamsee Laxman Pai Gogi Saroj Pal Rm. Palaniappan M. K. Parandekar Madhvi Parekh Manu Parekh R. N. Pasricha Ganesh Pyne Sohan Qadri K. S. Radhakrishnan A. A. Raiba Krishna Reddy P. T. Reddy Rekha Rodwittiya Jamini Roy Prosanto Roy G. R. Santosh Paritosh Sen Nataraj Sharma Lalu Prasad Shaw Shuvaprasanna Paramjeet Singh F. N. Souza Anupam Sud Thota Vaikuntam S. G. Vasudev Jai Zharotia Moti Zharotia

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This exhibition takes us on a journey into the lives and works of artists from a diverse range of traditions and practices. Despite differences in technique, philosophy and politics, they are united by an attempt to forge a new language of Indian art which rebels against existing visual vocabularies while seamlessly combining influences from European modernism and the rich history of visual arts from South Asia. This assimilation is achieved in different ways. From M. F. Husain’s figurative renditions of Indian deities to the many languages of abstraction developed by artists like Ram Kumar, Ganesh Haloi and others—we see artists responding variously to the socio-cultural problems of a post-colonial nation.

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A participatory reading and activity session with researcher Shreya Mukherjee to explore analogue photography of the 19th and early 20th century and the revival or adaptation of the medium in contemporary art.

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One of the most distinguished families in Bengal, the Tagores exercised unparalleled influence over the cultural landscape of the region. The Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), and two of his nephews, Gaganendranath Tagore (1867-1938) and Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) were recognised as India’s National Art Treasure artists. Sunayani Devi (1875 -1962), their sister, is regarded as one of modern India’s first women painters known by name. Her lyrical paintings and embroideries often looked inward to an imagined world of fables and myths. At the turn of the twentieth century, we see Abanindranath emerging as the founder of the Bengal School as he envisioned a new Indian art that was free of colonial influence, rooted in pan-Asianism. Gaganendranath, on the other hand, was a prolific satirist and cartoonist, who imagined new forms and perspectives inspired by Cubism. Together they formed the influential Indian Society of Oriental Art in 1907, while Rabindranath’s school and university at Santiniketan would continue to shape modern art in Bengal for generations to come.

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Jamini Roy’s was an art of quiet resistance that assimilated so seamlessly into the folk and craft traditions of Bengal that it did not cause any discernible ripples among the prevalent artistic mood. All around him, art was being nurtured, questioned, uprooted—it was, after all, a period when nationalist feelings ran high and a search for an indigenous lexicon was paramount—but Jaminida’s ability to look to tradition for a modern approach, though revolutionary, was instinctively natural and organic. It was art that everyone understood and wanted to take home. No wonder Jamini babu became a household name in his native Calcutta and went on to be honoured as one of the pre-eminent National Treasure artists of the country whose art has the greatest acceptance of any known Indian modernist.

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Gogi Saroj Pal, seen often as one of the first ‘feminist’ women painters in modern Indian art, has consistently explored the condition and inner life of women. Women’s lives, their desires and compulsions, and the complex and magical world of the feminine have been Gogi’s frequent subjects. In her work, Gogi explores and responds to the vast reserve of myths, fables and lore that abound in India, interested in excavating, in particular, its religious and literary traditions. She traces and frequently creates new mythical/celestial female beings of great strength and potency, such as the Hathyogini-Kali—skilled yoga practitioner and potent female force—who assert themselves in a modern landscape where women are frequently denied agency.

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A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography, a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer, in order to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer A. A. Raiba Abalall Rahiman Abanindranath Tagore Akbar Padamsee Alagiri Naidu Alphonso Doss Ambika Dhurandhar Anjolie Ela Menon Anonymous (Bengal Lithographs) Anonymous (Ladies and Gentlemen) Anonymous (Painted Photographs) Anonymous (Parsi Eminences) 90 Anonymous (Raja Ravi Varma School) Anonymous (Royal Personages) Anonymous (Spiritual) Anonymous (Studio Photographs) Ardeshir Duishajee Tavaria Asit Kumar Haldar B. Paul Baburao Sadwelkar Badri Narayan Benjamin Hudson Bhunath Mukherjee Bhupen Khakhar Bikash Bhattacharjee Bipin Behari Goswami Biswanath Mukerji C. N. Kistnasawmy Naidu Cecil Burns Chintamoni Kar Chittaprosad D. L. N. Reddy D. P. Roy Chowdhury Devyani Krishna F. N. Souza Fatima Ahmed Frank Brooks G. Kamble G. N. Jadhav G. R. Santosh Gaganendranath Tagore George Keyt Gobardhan Ash Gogi Saroj Pal Gopal Deuskar Gopal Ghose Gopal Sanyal H. Hormusji Deboo Himmat Shah Hiranmoy Roychaudhuri J. A. Lalkaka J. Barton J. D. Dalvi J. D. Gondhalekar J. P. Gonsalves J. P. Gangooly J. Sultan Ali Jacob Epstein Jai Zharotia Jamini Roy Jogen Chowdhury Jyoti Bhatt K. C. Pyne K. K. Hebbar K. Lall K. Laxma Goud K. S. Kulkarni Kanwal Krishna Keshavrao Sadashiv Kisory Roy Koulji Ardeshir Tachakra Krishen Khanna L. M. Sen L. Munuswamy L. N. Taskar L. P. Shaw Laxman Pai M. F. Husain M. F. Pithawalla M. K. Parandekar M. R. Acharekar M. V. Dhurandhar Mukul Dey Muni Singh N. R. Sardesai Nemai Ghosh Nirode Majumdar Olinto Ghilardi P. T. Reddy Paritosh Sen Partha Pratim Deb Pestonji E. Bomanji Pradip Maitra Prahlad Karmakar Prokash Karmakar R. D. Panvalkar R. S. Bisht Rabin Mondal Rabindranath Tagore Raja Ravi Varma Rama Lal Ramendranath Chakravorty S. A. Meerza S. Dhanapal S. G. Thakar Singh S. L. Haldankar Sankho Choudhuri Satish Sinha Savi Savarkar Shanti Dave Sudhir Khastgir Suhas Roy Sunil Das Sunil Kumar Paul Sunil Madhav Sen Sunqua Surendran Nair Sushil Chandra Sen Tarak Garai V. A. Mali V. B. Pathare V. M. Oke V. Nageshkar Ved Nayar Vivan Sundaram Wasim Kapoor

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The 1970s was a decade like no other for a young India gaining in confidence nationally as well as on the global firmament. In 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi led the country to a decisive victory against Pakistan, leading to the creation of Bangladesh. The Green Revolution had borne fruit, and Operation Flood now launched a milk revolution in the country, and the culmination of the privy purse turned it into a socialist republic with a strong handle on its economic button. Internationally, much was made of India’s resilience, and the country’s soft power began to win it recognition for its films, fashion, food and culture. India had arrived. ALTAF AMBADAS AMITAVA AVINASH CHANDRA BIKASH BHATTACHARJEE BIREN DE BIRESWAR SEN ERIC BOWEN F. N. SOUZA G. R. SANTOSH GANESH HALOI GOGI SAROJ PAL INDRA DUGAR J. SULTAN ALI J. SWAMINATHAN K C S PANIKER K. K. HEBBAR K. LAXMA GOUD KRISHNA REDDY LAXMAN PAI M. F. HUSAIN MADHVI PAREKH NAVJOT ALTAF P. T. REDDY PARITOSH SEN PRABHAKAR BARWE PRODOSH DASGUPTA PROKASH KARMAKAR RABIN MONDAL RAJENDRA DHAWAN RAM KUMAR S G VASUDEV SATISH GUJRAL SHANTI DAVE SHYAMAL DUTTA RAY SOHAN QADRI TYEB MEHTA V. VISWANADHAN ZARINA HASHMI

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March to Freedom re-interprets the well-known story of the Indian freedom struggle and anticolonial movement through works of art and some historic artefacts. Drawn from the collections of DAG, they range from eighteenth and nineteenth century European paintings and prints, to lesser known works by Indian artists that merit greater recognition, alongside some iconic pieces. Rather than following the usual chronological path, the story is structured around eight themes. Each represents one arena, or stage, on which the anti-colonial struggle took place, to expand the story beyond politics, politicians, and battles (which also feature). Conceived to commemorate and celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, this visual journey seeks to do more. A. A. Raiba Asit Kumar Haldar Alfred Crowdy Lovett Atul Bose Baburao Sadwelkar Bijan Chowdhury Biren De C. Stanfield Charles D’Oyly Charles Shepherd Charles Walter D’Oyly Chintamoni Kar Chittaprosad Dattatraya Apte David Gould Green Devayani Krishna D. Newsome Edward Orme Gobardhan Ash Gopal Ghose G. Tait Haren Das Hemanta Misra Henri Cartier-Bresson Henry Martens Henry Salt Henry Singleton Jacob Epstein James Hunter James Fraser John Gantz John Jabez Edwin Mayall K. K. Hebbar Kanwal Krishna K. C. S. Paniker K. G. Subramanyan K. Sreenivasulu K. S. Kulkarni Laxman Pai M. Eyre Proudman M. K. Parandekar M. S. Morgan Nemai Ghosh N. R. Sardesai Prahlad Anant Dhond Paritosh Sen Prokash Karmakar P. T. Reddy Radha Charan Bagchi Robert Dodd R. Vijay Satish Gujral Satish Sinha S. Dhanapal Stella Brown Sudhir Khastgir Sushil Chandra Sen Sunil Das Sunil Madhav Sen Thomas Anbury Thomas Daniell Thomas Jones Barker V. A. Mali V. B. Pathare V. Veevers William Daniell William Hodges Anonymous Artists Learn More

March to Freedom re-interprets the well-known story of the Indian freedom struggle and anticolonial movement through works of art and some historic artefacts. Drawn from the collections of DAG, they range from eighteenth and nineteenth century European paintings and prints, to lesser known works by Indian artists that merit greater recognition, alongside some iconic pieces. Rather than following the usual chronological path, the story is structured around eight themes. Each represents one arena, or stage, on which the anti-colonial struggle took place, to expand the story beyond politics, politicians, and battles (which also feature). Conceived to commemorate and celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, this visual journey seeks to do more. For even as we remember the struggles, the sacrifices, and the stories, such anniversaries are also occasions for reflection, including upon the scholarship that has developed on South Asian history. Some of the latter may be familiar to academics, or those with special interests. For most of the rest of us, our knowledge of this past is derived in large part from hazy memories of school lessons, which change from one generation to the next, and are influenced by concurrent national politics. We also learn from narratives on offer through public channels or in the media, to mark moments of national remembrance or controversy.

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DAG has been a pioneer in curating exhibitions that have historical significance. These have ranged from themes around different genres and art movements to artist retrospectives as well as engagements with forgotten masters. Most exhibitions are sourced from its own inventory and in recent years DAG has begun to explore eighteenth and nineteenth century art and artists in addition to its presence as a stakeholder of twentieth century art. Exhibitions are routinely organised at its galleries in New Delhi, Mumbai, and New York, as well as in collaboration with museums and other institutions. All exhibitions are accompanied by well researched and designed books, adding considerably to the documentation of Indian art history.

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