Abstract hope
RANA SIDDIQUI
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PAINTING An eye-catching exhibition.
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Most abstract works tend to resemble each other. So it becomes difficult for abstract artists to make a mark. Yet the works of those who have continued with it for a long time tend to leave their individual imprint. Take for instance, Raza's bindu. That is his trademark, so is J. Swaminathan's repeat rectangles in similar colours, Dashrath Patel's black squares and Sohan Qadri's geometric droppings. One such person who is slowly making his mark among abstractionist is 38-year-old Kolkata-based Samindranath Majumdar. His acrylic on canvases in thick layers and low tones that speak a mature language in subtle shades are grabbing attention of the art lovers. Majumdar's solo exhibition, at Gallerie Ganesha in Greater Kailash Part - II, is a statement in innovation reached upon through a constant toil.
Shares the artist, "I have been working on abstract for more than a decade now. Earlier I have been doing naturalistic works. And had huge solo shows also but of late I started realising that it was not my cup of tea. Not only was it getting repetitive but also because I saw everybody doing it. I wanted to make a mark of my own." And he had Gaitonde and Ram Kumar for inspiration and his hard work to go ahead.
Abstract, Majumdar observes is also a way out for many artists who do not know how to paint. "Such works are often unconvincing. We had the likes of Razas and Gaitondes who toiled all their lives to make a mark in abstract. We are actually reaping the benefits of these first generation artists. So we must honour that toil instead of blindly going for abstract as parallels in old and new are bound to happen," philosophies Mujumdar. He also moans the copy works by various West Bengal young artists. "Many such artists tend to imitate the like of Shyamal Dutta Ray but fall flat because of lack of energy," he laments.
This product of Rabindra Bharti University and a recipient of several scholarships and awards up to the National level is also a poet. "I write romantic poetry," he states. And soon Delhi will see a few of his and other major painters as Jogen Chowdhury, Ramanand Bandhopadhyay, Nandlal Bose Sanjay Bhattacharya's poems in the form of a book titled "Chobi Ankite Kobita". The book to be released in Delhi in September this year will be both in Bengali and English. The exhibition is on view till May 4.
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