An ongoing exhibition in New Delhi showcases artworks of 15 renowned master artists from Bengal.
‘Art of Bengal Today’, currently being held at the Treasure Art Gallery, gives people a peek into the rich and dynamic history of Bengal through a kaleidoscopic collection of art marked by beauty, despair, irony and much more.
Curated by the gallery’s owner Tina Chandroji, the show features artworks of renowned Bengal artists, including Jogen Chowdhury, Ganesh Haloi, Sunil De, Ashok Bhowmik and Tarun Dey.
“The group exhibition was inspired by the desire to look afresh at these works of art and artists, who contributed greatly towards the uniqueness of Bengal art, in an effort to better understand and appreciate these artworks and their contexts,” said Chandroji in a statement.
“Diverse in their choice of themes and varied in their scale of scene and size of canvas, they possess the power to enchant every admirer of Indian art and initiate discussions on the aesthetic sensibilities and cultural influence of regional art of Bengal,” she added.
While works of Jogen Chowdhury and Ganesh Haloi are well-known for their vivid surrealism, drawing upon and reminding one of the horrific loss and brokenness of Partition-era Bengal; the fragmentation, decay, despair, and death have permeated the artworks of other artists, including Tarun Dey, Ashok Bhowmik and Goutam Chowdhury.
Created by some of the most senior artists in the country, the displayed artworks stand out for their “subtlety, minimalism, and finesse” – all of which are characteristic of Bengal’s art.
“My paintings have never been driven by the urge to tell tales. They are, in that sense, mute. Yet, in this refusal, lies the incantatory truth of visuality. If they refuse to narrate, they breathe a species of pre-verbal meanings. It is into this zone of inchoate fuzziness that I invite my viewers,” said artist Sunil De.
The exhibition is on till September 30.