Kolkata-based Emami Art is celebrating the richness of Bengal’s artistic heritage with its two ongoing exhibitions that allow exploration into the enigmatic world of one of the most significant modern masters Lalit Mohan Sen with a retrospective-scale exhibition and a survey show of Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri, respectively.

The first exhibition, ‘Lalit Mohan Sen: An Enduring Legacy’, curated in consultation with Debdutta Gupta is designed to offer a historical journey through the life and artistry of Lalit Mohan Sen (1898-1954), whose impact on the art world remains profound, despite a relatively short but immensely productive creative career.

In this exhibition, his rich and expansive practice is represented by a wide range of mediums and materials, including oil and tempera paintings, various graphic prints, book cover illustrations, and a selection of previously unseen drawings and photographs. He excelled in academic realism and the Indian style of painting and tried to create a personal style by blending the two apparently opposite artistic trends. The exhibition pays tribute to his extraordinary oeuvre, celebrating the diversity and modernist spirit in Sen’s works.

“This exhibition seeks to reinterpret and expand the viewer’s knowledge about the artist through the collection of his works, firstly by drawing attention to the multiple mediums, including photography, sculpture, and ceramics, of which he was a master. Secondly, it looks beyond his Western oeuvre and focuses on his relationship with

Indian and indigenous art forms. This exhibition seeks to reinstate Sen’s versatility and ability to experiment and amalgamate different genres and mediums, especially in an age when art has become increasingly impacted by digital technologies,” says Debdutta Gupta, Exhibition Consultant.

The second exhibition titled ‘The Dream of an Idiot’ is a comprehensive survey of Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri, an extraordinary and relatively lesser-known abstract artist hailing from Bengal. This exhibition captures the essence of Santinekatan-based Karchaudhuri's artistic journey through a selection of seminal works from different phases of his career spanning over four decades.

Curated by Ushmita Sahu, the exhibition follows Karchaudhuri’s journey as a significant Indian artist who has striven to develop a unique abstract language. Each canvas, brushstroke, and colour choice reflects the artist’s profound and unique vision, providing an immersive experience that allows for a deeper understanding of his abstract expressionism. The exhibit features tapestries, paintings, drawings, and prints.

The essence of Karchaudhuri's art, including his motifs and colour palettes, has been deeply influenced by the environments in which he resides and works. One can readily observe that his artistic style has evolved with each change of location, be it Kolkata, Bhagalpur, or Santiniketan. Throughout his artistic journey, a recurring motif that frequently graces his canvases is the triangle, both in its inverted and upright forms.

This striking motif draws inspiration from the local tribal communities, as well as traditional Indian temple weaving patterns. It beautifully weaves together the cultural heritage of the regions he has been associated with, reflecting a harmonious fusion of indigenous art forms.

“The time, the environment, and the state of mind significantly impacted my art practice, choice of materials, and recreating forms and figures. In my art journey, I had to pass through many gateways of styles and shapes mixed with the nuances of primitivism. My works revolved in an elliptic orbit centering around the primary forms and figures of the primeval days, sometimes very near to it and sometimes far away. I wanted to stretch myself out to this area of unknown mystery, to another reality,” says artist Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri.

“Both these exhibitions are a reflection of Emami Art’s steadfast in its commitment to showcasing the works of historically significant yet lesser-known master artists. These shows reflect a large body of work of these two artists whose visual vocabulary is strikingly different from each other,” says Richa Agarwal, CEO of Emami Art.

Both shows can be viewed on the ground floor of Emami Art till September 30, 2023.(IANS/NJ)