Primarily a printmaker, Haren Das evokes a sense of nostalgia and romanticism in Knife Grinder. With a keen sense of observation, he portrays seemingly-insignificant commonplace moments—a woman getting her knife sharpened by a local peddler of odd goods—and gives them a haunting quality. Given how many of these local jobs have vanished, Das’s work gains historical significance in documenting an India that was idyllic but now lost forever. Nurturing a nostalgic vision as a printmaker, Das’s contribution in perfecting this medium remains unparalleled.
published references
Sengupta, Paula, The Printed Picture: Four Centuries of Indian Printmaking, Volume II (New Delhi: DAG, 2012), p. 120
Haren Das
Knife Grinder
1959
Colour woodcut on paper
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Haren Das
Knife Grinder
1959
Colour woodcut on paper
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