The Soul Speaks
For a large number of modern Indian Artists the
quest for spirituality is not an unusual
pursuit. There has been an ongoing strand of
spiritualism in Indian Art. It is not that
Indian artists are only concerned with faithful
representations of icons, rituals and religious
practices. These are there as we observe in the
realistic paintings of Pestonji Bomanjee or S.L.
Haldankar.
But for the most part, one notices a serious
dialogue between the manifest and the symbolic
veils of mysticism. The artists' search for
image and expression transforms itself into a
sublime level of consciousness.
It is thus that we see a range of abstract
images. The pictorial expression of the innate
harmony to be discovered in the cosmic order can
be seen in the play of colour and abstract forms
of the Neo-Tantrics. Then there are delicately
floating forms in an abstract by V.S. Gaitonde
that demand to be viewed with a Zen-like
contemplation. Others like Raza's work fix on a
point of meditation.
Some of the artists like J. Swaminathan or the
miniaturist Bireshwar Sen have sought to capture
the liberating, uplifting experience of
spirituality through forms from nature -
mountains, lakes, rocks, birds. Swaminathan and
K. C. S. Panicker use symbols like serpents,
trees and iconographic elements akin to musical
notations evoking a range of emotions and
associations as much as an articulate world does
in every day speech or language.
India has traditionally been home to major
religions of the world. In the works of the
artists on view here, one gets an idea of the
buoyant pluralism that has been a marked
characteristic of the cultural context of this
country. Religious figures who have been known
as men of peace, men who have suffered for
humanity have been appropriated by artists
through the decades.
Jesus Christ, Buddha, Chaitanya have been great
sources of inspiration to the Indian artists,
irrespective of their personal beliefs. And so
we have Jamini Roy painting the martyrdom of
humanity in the form of crucified Jesus in his
distinctive folk-inspired work.
Abanindranath Tagore paints Huan Tsang's arduous
trek across a difficult terrain in search of an
ideal with poetic sensitivity. Similarly,
Buddha's life and Buddhist themes have inspired
many of the paintings. Nandalal Bose has
captured with lyricism Chaitanya's mystical
experience. M.A.R. Chughtai has portrayed the
blissful dance of life through the figures of
Radha and Krishna.
In the case of other artists like Benode Behari
Mukherjee, there is an attempt to define the
sense of holiness in an ordinary, everyday act
like a visit to the temple. Nicholas Roerich
evoked the subliminal nuances of the mountains
as if suggesting the eternal path of
spirituality. His inner eye tried to define in
image the soul and vitality of the lofty
mountains that he painted. The spiritual
experience has thus been a driving force in
Indian creativity in its myriad representations.
This specially curated exhibition attempts to
highlight this unique aspect of our visual
culture for our viewers through this perceptive
conglomeration.
PROS RAJEEV LOCHAN
Director
National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
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