Lines of progress
RANA SIDDIQUI
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Straight lines turn revolutionary as they make their foray into art. And now a book, "Journey of the Straight Lines" puts together little known nuggets from the life and works of S.K. Sahni.
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A SILENT JOURNEY S.K. Sahni saying it with lines.
Some time back Ravi Gossain, an artist with more than three decades of experience in painting, exhibited his works in Delhi that blended science and art in spectacular colours. Many boasting their passion for art, rejected his works. Some who admired, kept silent for fear of criticism. Similarly, Deepak Tandon, another young artist recently mixed polynemics and art to come out with homogenous, mysterious images that can be hung on the wall from any side. However, most from the art fraternity again rejected it as `fake'. And those who admired it for its novel concept couldn't muster up courage to say it in so many words.
But S.S Bhatti, an art critic with the The Tribune, Chandigarh for two decades, who is also an artist and a poet, doesn't belong to the category. Not only did he praise the different works of S.K. Sahni, the former keeper of the National Gallery of Modern Art, in his reviews for their novel concept of converting straight lines into works of art, but also came out with a book on him titled "Journey of the Straight Line" that hit the stands recently. The book, published by Harman Publishing House, New Delhi, not only reviews Sahni's innovative works, but also defines them in the light of architecture and art put together as also Sahni's process of working. It carries an in-depth interview of the artist that satisfies most queries that crop up as one goes through his unconventional works.
Recalls Sahni, whose show has just been concluded at the Lalit Kala Gallery, "Mine was an accidental meeting with Mr. Bhatti when he came to see my show in late nineties. He gave me rave reviews for my innovative work that didn't conform to the established norms of contemporary painting.
In my next show this year, he decided to come out with a book too. I was shocked because I struggled a lot for this kind of book to come out. I went to the established publishers but they refused. A publisher who once published a book on Hebbar, known for his innovative concepts, refused to bring out my book, saying he published Hebbar because he made his wife's portrait and was a good friend of him!"
Nonconformist
Sahni, whose works were greatly appreciated by Karan Singh, Chairman, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, chose to be different because as the keeper of the "whole galaxy of Indian artists" he realised that there is very little left as fresh challenge in art making. Being an architect by academic qualification, Sahni started seeing the straight lines converting into art objects as he started drawing them spontaneously on his canvases. His precision of lines amazes, his dexterity at handling various lines coming from all sides, with magical smoothness, leaves one spell-bound. Echoes Bhatti, "Sahni works against nature, as nature has no straight line. Unfortunately, in a population of a billion, there is not one artist who is world class. Sahni's works are global, thankfully."
Sahni who laments the conversion of art exhibitions into page 3 functions and the transformation of art venues into art bazaars, has been responsible for introducing a course in art appreciation at NGMA for children.
He began by introducing children to `child art', say for example, teaching them how to make puppets. "It was my dream to see those children appreciating art when they grow up," sighs Sahni as his dream hasn't still been realised.
But Sahni suggests art faculties and schools to begin `art education' through tours and requests art critics to stop "jugglery with words in art reviews that intimidate art learners". A straight line on the subject would be in order!
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