ArtSutra Kurate

                                                     One of the most prolific painters coming out of West Bengal and very beloved was Jamini Roy.   He first started learning art at the Govt college of Art, Calcutta. He started out as a portrait painter, and then moved onto to other subjects   There were two schools of thought or art that came out of Bengal, at the turn of the last century considered to be the leaders in Modern Art. The Bengal School and the Shantiniketan School of art. Both influenced Jamini Roys work the most . Interpretations of art that  took the existing art form from Ajanta Ellora caves/ Patua paintings   and the figurative styles they offered.   He painted a lot of paintings, apparently over 20000, and also did small scale paintings of larger ones- like an idea forming in his mind, and then it...

  A rtSutra Kurate Art Talks with Sakala Appachu Debrass Female Artists of India. Part 1 Continuing the series with the second of a three part series. On our top celebrated female artists in India First I want to thank Sang ita Chopra Raghavan from Art Musings - Mumbai Artist extraordinaire- Vallery Puri Collectors Shaleen Virmani Karnik , and Parveen Sikand . Special mention to Kusum Bhatia and Purnima Bellur The four artists I covered in this episode are 1. Anjolie Ela Menon 2. Zarina Hashmi 3. Madhavi Parekh 4. Bharti Kher All diverse and unique in their talent and sensibility. #artadvisory #indianart #podcast #artmentorship #artconsultant #inspiration https://youtu.be/GIf1odj1XhQ

Ram Kumar  One of India's greats.  During Independance setting up the Progressive Art Group , with MF Husain, SH Raza, KH Ara and the other fantastic painters.  They represented the New India, breaking away from the shackles of the British and setting up their own personal styles What made these young men, want to do this. Was it the creative freedom they wanted, wanting Indian Art not be too traditional , and breaking the stereotypes of the old, and bringing in fresh energy and ideas into everyones lives? They were all friends, worked together, and encouraged each other. There was collective pride in being the new face of India. Is that not very refreshing? Sometimes I wonder, did the energy of the group, carry each of them into their own paths, because all were great, and styles different and trajectories huge.  Oh to be a fly on the wall......

One of the best things that was done by the Indian Government on the Art front , was to declare some Art and Antiquities as non - exportable.  Though in my humble opinion, I think this list could have been longer, the fact that it is there, goes to show, on how someone in the Government of India, knew that this was an important legacy to safe keep  The list is simple  1 Raja Ravi Verma - a scion of the Southern state of Kerala , he was known for his portraiture and mythical paintings - mostly in large scale format 2. Rabindranath Tagore- the Nobel Laurette who was a visionary of the arts. Setting up an institute for the arts like no other. The famous Shantiniketan School. He started painting late in his life - 40 years to be precise, the works are more an expression of his many artistic prowess 3. Gagendranath Tagore- Nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, whose beautiful washed techniques, made his paintings have an ethereal look 4. Abnindranath Tagore - another newphew of Rabin...

  Sunyani Devi - the Unsung hero of the art world in India Sometimes , when we see genius in an artists work, we should stop and ask "who , or what inspired this?"  Such is the genius of Sunyani Devi, a woman , who was born into the prestigious Tagore family, her two brothers, Gagendranath and Abnindranath and her uncle Rabindranath Tagore, were all creating impressive works and getting world recognition.  There was in the same family a woman , who albeit a little late, but a talented artist Sunyani Devi,  was an Indian painter born in 1875 in the Tagore family, a prominent Bengali family known for its cultural and artistic contributions. She started painting later in life, around the age of 30, and was largely self-taught. Her works were characterized by their simplicity and folk-art style, often depicting Hindu mythological themes and everyday life. Sunayani Devi’s contributions were significant in the context of Indian art, as she emerged during a time when female...