New Delhi: To mark the opening of its new wing, National Gallery of Modern Art presents a dual treat for art lovers with two simultaneous ground-breaking exhibitions. The first exhibition that will be on display in the new wing is titled ‘…In the seeds of time’ that traces the historical evolution of modern Indian art starting from Indian miniature art, Company period, European art practices, Bengal School of Art, Progressive Art Movement leading up till contemporary art. The second exhibition that will also be displayed at a separate floor in the same block is a retrospective show of works by the legendary Nandalal Bose titled 'Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose (1882 - 1966)'. Both the shows will begin at the new wing at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi from January 19, 2009 to February 28, 2009.
The celebrations won’t stop with this. NGMA plans to further host a retrospective show of the living master, Tyeb Mehta, followed by an exhibition on the making of the new wing, finally culminating with an exhibition showcasing the best of Indian contemporary art by younger artists.
Says Prof. Rajeev Lochan, Director, NGMA, Delhi, “With this expansion, NGMA would now possibly be Asia’s largest museum. When the three new wings of the museum open at Jaipur House, it may not be possible to see the enormous art collection on display in a day. The new area will be 24,700 square metres, six times the current size. This will make it a truly world-class museum.”
Ever since its inception in 1954, NGMA continues to be a premier institution of modern art in the country. The opening of its new wing is yet another landmark. The expansion includes the building of three new blocks together with two levels of basements, adding almost six times the space to the existing Jaipur House. This brings about a quantum leap in the positioning, status and infrastructural environment of the National Gallery of Modern Art, making it at par with best museums of Modern Art, worldwide.
The three new blocks include permanent gallery spaces, temporary exhibition spaces, a new auditorium, a special preview theatre, conservation laboratory, library and academic section as well as a cafeteria and museum shop. The new spaces incorporate all aspects of NGMA's vision to develop a modern, state-of-the-art museum building in terms of flexible display systems, varied ceiling heights, lighting and support facilities and much more.
While the exteriors of the new wing respect and complement the art-deco style heritage building Jaipur House, using similar pink and red sand stone for its façade, the interiors introduce a modern and contemporary look. A new exciting design space unfolds, lit by both natural and artificial light. The asymmetrically placed levels break the rigid monotony of an orthogonal space and allow the visitor a view of the dazzling display of art spread through the whole space. Areas open from one to another, while the walls give way to glimpses of the outdoors. The use of cutting edge technology for 'Intelligent' artificial lighting, sensitive internal environmental control and electronic security system enhances the efficiency of the Gallery floors. The predominantly sand blasted granite flooring, laid to a rational pattern, provides for a variety of display options for the curator.
The new wing makes the NGMA a unique institution; perhaps no other museum in the world has such a vast space at its disposal, in the heart of a metropolitan city. Built on 7.84 acres, the indoor display area alone will be approximately 12000 sqm, while there is more than ample space in the courts and sculpture gardens for outdoor display and site installations. All the spaces easily accessed by walk-ways, ramps, lifts and staircases together with special facilities and comfortable seating within the Galleries and on the outside, the new wing of the NGMA welcomes senior citizens and the differently-abled equally.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITIONS
'... In The Seeds Of Time' traces the trajectory of modern Indian art from the colonial encounter from the 18th century to current trends in the 21st century. The history of the development of modern Indian art is both complex and chequered. Art has developed in tandem with the exigencies of a region and nation in constant evolution; the artists responding to the socio-political and economic tenors of each decade with alacrity. The potency of Indian art stems from its ability to include and adapt all the diversities that it encounters rather than exclude on the basis of claims to purity. Indian art from every region is an amalgam of different locals that are now globally experienced and shared with remarkable developments in information-technology and web-based sharing.
'Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose' (1882 - 1966), a landmark exhibition from the collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art is being exhibited for the first time in India after successful expositions at the San Diego Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA.
The exhibition traces the artistic journey of this legendary master over a period of more than 50 years; his work symbolising the transformation of a colony into a newly emergent nation. It allows a view into the remarkable versatility of this pioneer who worked in a multitude of material and a range of styles, remaining true always to the essence of his land... to the rhythms of India.
Says Prof. Rajeev Lochan, Director, NGMA: “Nandalal Bose’s aesthetic legacy, cultivated by imbibing the significance of tradition and skillfully tempered with a rootedness in his times, is one of the most authentic responses of an Indian artist to his environment. The artist’s engagement with tradition is not so much a replication but rather a reinterpretation and reinvention to suit his inner sensibilities and their contemporary needs.”
The exhibition features more than 85 of Nandalal Bose’s finest paintings, which are executed in a variety of styles and media. Rhythms of India also reveals how Nandalal Bose contributed to the success of India’s non-violent struggle for independence from colonial rule through his close association with Mahatma Gandhi.
Born in Bihar, India, in 1882, Nandalal Bose spent most of his life in Bengal as a pan-Asian artist and teacher. At the beginning of his career in 1905, Nandalal Bose was one of many artists and visionaries who sought to revive the spirituality and cultural authenticity of Indian art after 50 years of colonial rule and westernization. In 1919, Nandalal Bose became the first director of the art school at the new university founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in rural Bengal. Here, traditional Indian teaching methods were favored over British-style education.
For the following three decades, Nandalal Bose began to experiment with a variety of indigenous Indian, Japanese, and Chinese techniques. His work consisted more of scenes of nature and tribal and village life, as well as devotional subjects. It was his portrayal of village India without dependence on Western materials or styles that captured the attention of Gandhi and catapulted Nandalal Bose to the status of national icon as the only artist Gandhi patronized. Although Nandalal Bose’s art was not inherently political, Gandhi used his images of a more traditional India to represent his non-violent peace movement.
After his retirement in 1951, Nandalal Bose’s work became more private and meditative. A deeply spiritual strain runs through his work that makes it unmistakably Indian and not derivative from western models of modern art. It is because he so successfully revived India’s cultural past and advocated the need for the Indian people to sink their roots in it that his work is hailed as the foundation for modern Indian art.
No comments:
Post a Comment