Few have extracted magic from watercolours like Gopal Ghose. Trained by greats like Sailendranath Dey, Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose, the self-confessed “India wanderer” was known to bring alive powerful visuals of diverse concepts, from nature to communal violence.
After New Delhi and Mumbai, DAG is bringing Ghose’s first major career retrospective to Kolkata in an exhibit titled Flower of Fire: The Life & Art of Gopal Ghose, which will be open from January 25 to March 23. The organisation has partnered with The Alipore Museum to host the artist’s stunning landscapes and intimate sketches, along with several unseen prints and archival souvenirs. My Kolkata was at the grand opening.
Tracing Gopal Ghose’s creative evolution
The exhibition traces Ghose’s personal and artistic evolution from his birth in Kolkata in 1913, to his education in Jaipur and Madras (Chennai), to his return and setup of the Calcutta Group, and his revolutionary work until his death in 1980
The exhibition traces Ghose’s creative evolution from his youthful artistic exploration in the 1930s, to his final days in 1980. Much of it comes from the research of art historian, W.G. Archer, with whom Ghose struck an unexpectedly close friendship in 1945.
While he was born in Kolkata in 1913, Ghose spent much of his formative years away, first training at the Maharaja School of Arts, Jaipur, followed by the Government College of Art and Craft, Madras (Chennai).
One of the most prominent aspects of the exhibition was its curation of Ghose’s landscapes, which exhibited his profound love for nature
Interestingly, his return to Kolkata in 1943 coincided with his role as a founding member of the Calcutta Group. One of the first such groups comprising modern artists, they held several groundbreaking exhibitions in the following years. Interestingly, Ghose broke away from the group to follow his unique artistic vision, in keeping with the deviations that made for many pivotal points in his evolution as an artist.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is an archival section, featuring Ghose’s copy of ‘Discovery of India’, signed by Jawaharlal Nehru, and letters by Rabindanath and Abanindranath Tagore
It is this evolution that Flower of Fire traces, be it through his socially relevant paintings in the 1940s which emphasised on lines, or his landscapes that established him as a colourist. It also shows his mastery over not just watercolour, but also gouache and pastels. For the first time, his personal journals and sketchbooks from the DAG archives will also be on view. Ghose’s reflections on education, relationships and philosophy will further be examined as part of Archer’s essays on the artist.
Honouring a legacy
‘I am extremely thankful to DAG and The Alipore Museum for curating this exhibition. It is a great way to honour my father’s legacy,’ beamed Deepa Bose, Ghose’s daughter
The opening walkthrough was conducted by Kanupriya Sharma from team DAG, followed by a musical concert by synthfolk project Dindūn, which also created an immersive audio experience based on Ghose’s paintings and diaries.
‘Ghose talks about subjects that deeply resonate with us, like the purpose of art, and how fulfilling it can be in the face of death,’ said Sourjyo Sinha, vocalist for Dindūn, who also created (above) an immersive audio experience inspired by Ghose’s art
“Gopal Ghose is an artist I have deeply admired as a collector. While he has contributed so much to the Indian modern art landscape, Ghose regrettably didn’t receive the same admiration as many others from the fraternity. As viewers engage with Ghose’s works through the exhibition, I urge them to contemplate how a turbulent mind consistently found solace through his art and sustained an everlasting love for nature and life,” said Ashish Anand, CEO and MD, DAG.