New Delhi   

A homage to people close to their land

Madhur Tankha

INDIGENOUS AND ENCHANTING: A painting by William Matthews.

NEW DELHI: Coinciding with the upcoming visit of U.S. President George Bush, a weeklong exhibition of paintings by leading American artist William Matthews titled "Cowboys and India: Images of the American West and Rajasthan" would open at India Habitat Centre here on March 2.

The exhibition, organised by the U.S. Embassy, will portray in watercolours various works on the working cowboy from the ranches of the American West as also William's interests and resultant work that extend beyond the borders of the United States. Having travelled extensively throughout his career, William has been painting indigenous and rural people who are sustained by the land and through their pursuits of animal husbandry.

William's travels in India have allowed him to capture scenes from the enchanting beauty of Rajasthan. His paintings pay homage to the people who remain close to their land and the cross-cultural ties that exist. Widely collected and exhibited, his paintings are part of numerous private and museum collections.

"I had always wanted to come to India as the Indian culture had played such a large part when I was growing up in San Francisco in the 1960s. I heard that Rajasthan was one of the most beautiful and colourful places in India and I was not disappointed. The landscape and the weather reminded me of my adopted home in Colorado. The hot and dry climate was both familiar and a great neutral backdrop to the magnificent turbans and saris worn by the villagers. It was endlessly stimulating for my painter's eye and even after saturated days of painting I woke up every morning to new inspiration and exciting opportunities," says William.

About his upcoming show in Delhi, William informed that the exhibition would include many paintings of Rajasthan. However, 60 per cent of the paintings will be depicting the American West including cowboys riding on horseback and tending their cattle.

"It also excites me to know that my exhibition, that bridges our American Western culture with India's culture, opens on the same day that President Bush arrives in India for this important visit to bridge the relationship between our two great nations," says William.

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