India has given the world several unique and talented artists. Although born during a time when the means to promote your art and make yourself known world over were limited, these artists attained success on the basis of sheer talent. Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts has been organising a series of exhibitions to revive the works of old and forgotten artists as well as some living legends who have made India proud in the past. ‘Paridrishy: State Of The Spirit’, is an exhibition that will put the rare works by Ram Kumar, one of India’s foremost abstract painters, on display. All set to be inaugurated by Laxman Pai, another celebrated Indian artist who hails from Goa and a contemporary of Ram Kumar, the exhibition comprises 19 curated works by the artist dating back to his formative phase in the early 1960s. The exhibition is organised in collaboration with Institute of Contemporary Indian Art (ICIA), Kala Ghoda, Mumbai. “Ram Kumar is one of India’s finest abstract painters and was associated with the Progressive Artist’s Group along with artists like Francis Newton Souza, M F Hussain, Tyeb Mehta and S H Raza,” states Dattaraj Salgaocar, Patron, Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts. Talking further about getting the artist’s paintings to Goa, he adds, “Ram Kumar is a creative genius who moved from the figurative to the abstract. We plan to showcase some of India ‘s living legends every year at Sunaparanta to bring the best of Indian art to Goa.” The 19 works presented in ‘Paridrishy: State Of The Spirit’ include oil on canvas, watercolour, acrylic on paper, charcoal and pen, giving the viewer an opportunity to get acquainted with the versatility of this revered artist. The highlights include seminal works such as an untitled oil on canvas that is a rare figurative creation from the year 1980. Another creation from the year 1990 is an ideal illustration to gauge his artistic peripatetic journey in the realm of his ‘Banaras’ series. “Ram Kumar’s artwork essentially seeps into the viewer’s perception with a subtle, almost muted, mechanism. Through the show, we celebrate this exuberating euphoria that his artworks create, allowing the viewer to feel exhilarated through sheer silence, which is rare in the present, rather fast and chaotic point in time. Another interesting aspect of this show is the possibility for the attendees to gauge his artistic evolution and scale the various phases through which he has traversed,” explains Tushar Sethi, Director, Institute of Contemporary Indian Art.
