Development of modern art captured at India Art Fair

New Delhi, Feb 1:

In a brave attempt to educate people on the modern Indian, the Delhi Art Gallery has used sprawling space at the ongoing India Art Fair to capture the development of the genre from the 19th century.

The exhibition, titled “A Visual History of Indian Modern Art” is divided into various sections: pre-modern, Bengal, academic realism, the Progressive and associates, high modernism, tantra, sculptures and eroticism.

These displays take into account major catalytic points and artist collectives that led to the progress of modern ideas in art practice.

“The sense of history of the Indian modern art is very limited and in the absence of state institutions to do their bit, private galleries should think of ways to educate young Indians about the Indian art,” Kishore Singh, head, Publication and Exhibition, Delhi Arts Gallery, told IANS.

“We hope to bring in this historical perspective among the Indian audience and an art fair is the biggest platform in the capital through which we can reach out to many people,” he added.

And the proof of how much of a physical and emotional investment the gallery has made in putting up this exhibition comes from the fact that the 11,000 sq feet space is dotted with their in-house collection of works of prominent artists such as F.N. Souza, H.S. Raza, M.F. Hussain, Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, among several others.

The variety and display of works represent how during various phases art was depicted through certain images and how the craft evolved with different times.

Representing an extraordinary range of themes, regions, idioms, styles and genres, this comprehensive exhibition is a complete representation of Indian modern art. IANS