CULTURE

ARTSCAPE
Peace through art is Chandramanii’s mission
Garima Pant

Producer-director Chandramanii with M. F. Husain during the making of 'Namashkar Kalakaar'.

An avid art collector, a versatile and talented filmmaker and a woman of umpteen facets. Meet Chandramanii, producer and director of TV documentary ‘Namashkar Kalakaar’, a series of 13 episodes. It is a tribute to the great masters and legends of modern Indian art and covers the life and works of great artists. The legendary figures include Raja Ravi Varma, Amrita Shergil, M. F. Husain, Jamini Roy, Bikash Bhattacharya, Kashmiri Khosa, Shanti Dave, Anjolie Ela Menon, Amarnath Sehgal, Sankho Choudhuri, Bimal Dasgupta, K. S. Kulkarni and Godawari Datta. The series tries to give an insight into the artists’ thoughts on their works, inspirations, life and creativity.

Each episode tries to look into the evolution and growth of an artist as an individual and through his works, which one rarely gets to know. It tells tales about the legends of art as never told before.

The series, which is being aired on DD National, is possibly the all-inclusive documentary on Indian art and artists. For instance, Kashmiri Khosa, as the documentary suggests, is an artist in real sense. It explores into his soft spoken, sensitive, genuine and highly spiritual bent of life and mind. Initially, he painted in cubist modes, but soon broke away to evolve a more naturalistic and vital idiom of rock like figures.

On Chandramanii’s works, he said: “She is a keen observer of art and has no commercial angles attached to her works. No one has ever made such a series on such a subject by spending their own money. It’s a great archival material and its worth will be realised much later.”

A multifaceted woman, Chandramanii has many short films and documentaries to her credit and the subject to most of her films are art and children. ‘Peace through Art’ is her mission in life. She has infused a different kind of an aura into her work. The storyline and treatment of her works are original and imaginative. She has had long association with Doordarshan and has devised many programmes and serials on popular interests and societal issues. On her mission, ‘Peace through Art’, she says, “Art has a supreme functiovn in creating a new world of peaceful nations. Only art can serve this purpose, because it has universal language in its expression.”

Kishangarh miniature paintings

The miniature is a portfolio painting that uses techniques similar to wall paintings, cloth paintings or manuscript illustrations from which it may have evolved. Examples of miniatures in the Mughal and Rajasthani styles have existed from the 16th century when there was an efflorescence of art. Just as there is a difference in the romantic Kangra style, the Mughal and Rajasthani styles too have separate identities that, though less apparent to the layman’s eyes, stand out to the eyes of the connoisseur of art.

From 16th century through the 18th, the miniature style developed independently in the kingdoms, the differences marked the way the painter looked at the countryside, the hills and shrubs, the forts and gardens, and the dunes of the desert.

Today, miniatures are produced in almost assembly line in the studios that have been especially developed to cater to the tourist souvenir trade. Even now, the talent available is formidable. While the best of the artists rarely see their way into the open market

Different schools of this fascinating art have flourished here since 16th century, each with its own distinctive style.

The Kishangarh school is best known for its Bani Thani paintings, a totally different style with highly exaggerated features - long necks, large almond-shaped eyes, long fingers and the use of subdued colours. The verdant greenery of the Kota-Bundi region is reflected in the paintings of that region. The rulers of Amer-Jaipur were the closest to the Mughals. A strong Mughal influence crept into their paintings.

The Kishangarh figures are exceptionally attractive and show a refined delicacy. The backgrounds shared the elaborate styling of the Mughal paintings, but the artists in Kishangarh used greater creative freedom. The artists tended to favour the use of evening light, with grey skies setting off the fine colours of the rest of the subject of their canvas. However, the fine temperament lasted only a few decades, but its outstanding contribution ranks it among the finest body of work to find expression on a canvas of such elaborate colours.

Original Kishangarh miniature paintings and works of arts from the personal collection of the Maharaja of Kishangarh will be on display at The Vishwakarma Hall of Arts & Crafts, Cottage Emporium, from March 21 to March 31.

Story of temples in rich hues

Temple Katha — A painting by Krishnendu Porel.

‘Temple Katha’ is a solo exhibition of paintings by Krishnendu Porel, which is on till March 26 at Gallery Art Indus, 37, Santushti Shopping Arcade. Porel is a painter who composes with meticulous attention to each and every image however small. In this show, it is fascinating to observe the way the artist uses light and shade, texture and colour to depict the mood, tempo and movement of images.

With a deft hand, he creates an aura of old-world streets and bylanes and vivid temple architecture in ancient cities. The fragrance of sandalwood, marigold flowers and the sweetness of misri pervade each painting. A woman pauses on her way through an intricately carved temple doorway, her bright pink dupatta the only touch of colour on an ochre, grey and brown canvas. The stone walls of the temple, echoing with grace and beauty, dominate the painting and the human figure seems fragile and almost insignificant in this other worldly cityscape.

Even where there are modern touches like an electric lamp pole, Krishnendu manages with his skilful brushstrokes and gifted artists’ eye to transform it into a beautiful object. The doorways could lead to temples in any holy city — Varanasi, Mathura or Hardwar; the brass bells could ring in any sacred temple.

Each painting has a peaceful, soft light floating about it though the colours are often dark and subdued. When the artist decides to use a bright colour like flaming orange or brilliant blue, then he places it with perfect balance so that it startles the eye as it bursts on canvas like a fountain of colour.

The artist, trained at the Kolkata College of Art, has an impeccable grasp of colour that shows in each painting. The rich golden ochre of the temple walls have an unusual softness despite their stone-like texture. The use of blue to break the sea of ochre and grey works very well and enhances the brightness of each hue. What is interesting in many of the works are hidden facets, the severe corners lurking amongst the shadows. You have to gaze at the paintings for a while as the images reveal themselves gradually one by one.

The lone grey terracotta vessel under a tree shrine, the half-hidden strips of cloth on an ancient banyan tree, a mother’s face half lit by a filtered light as she cradles her child. These almost understated images, which the artist has placed very deftly on each canvas, are what make Krishnendu Porel’s work fascinating.