Ram Kumar, like few other painters dabbled into other streams before finally taking a plunge in the beautiful world of Indian art. He did have the interest in art but it was not before he completed his Masters degree in Economics from Delhi University that he decided to take the plunge. Once he completed his Masters, he moved to art goldmine world of Paris to study painting. He learned the nuances from famous Andre Lhote and Fernand Leger. He made rapid strides and soon he was awarded with prestigious Rockefeller Fellowship in 1970. That says about the man’s passion and talent.

Ram Kumar’s Paintings always had a touch of reality. He has wonderfully depicted alienation of urban population. Talk about sad conditions of humans and you have this painter who captured all these emotions on his canvas. Whether you talk about hostile conditions and lonely humans in the city, Ram Kumar has simply mesmerized the world with his depiction of hopelessness. He has greatly covered the holy city of Varanasi.

Ram Kumar’s Varanasi has earned great acclaim and critical fame. His Varanasi is without any hopes and dilapidated with mass covered houses. His abstract paintings wonderfully represent artist’s sordid interpretation of the city. He does not magnify quaint ghats of Varanasi and neither has he boasted about erstwhile purity of the city. He showcases what Varanasi has become; the urban nightmare. He portrays the greed of the human inhabitants of the place. It’s truly heart-wrenching. Ram Kumar has won several awards including Padmashree by the Govt. of India in 1972 and Kalidas Samman by the Madhya Pradesh State Govt. he has also earned acclaim as Hindi Short storywriter.

How many of art aficionados have heard of Bhupen Khakhar? Thos who have must also have noticed his inadequacies in his works. But that is where the fascinating saga of this talented artist began. Yes, from his so called lack of formal training. He, in fact made a point to highlight his deficiencies to harp upon the art works he had created. Khakhar was never really much bothered about his lack of formal training in art and made it a point to highlight this fact in his works. Born in 1934, he was a self-taught artist who reveled in his uniqueness. His style of art was entirely self created and no wonder such confidence did result in beautiful works of art. By profession, he was a qualified chartered accountant but his passion for arts saw him moving to Baroda and join the Art Criticism course at the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Since then, it remained a memorable journey until he breathed his last. Soon after completing his course, he started to paint as a full time passion and organized his first exhibition within next three years. His initial works did invite lot of curiosity and criticism because of the experiments he made like painting over images of deities. That was first of its kind in Indian art circle. He remained obsessed about unconventional mans of painting.

Bhupen Khakhar never hesitated in expressing his innermost feelings though it also invited ire of established critics in the art circle. He tried experimenting with hybrid art cultures and traditions. He was quite expressive about duality of Indian society in his paintings. His compositions were always edgy and this kind of separated him from rest of the artists. Bhupen Khakhar dies in August 2003 aged 69.

India is known for its art and culture. Every corner of India is popular for its unusual form of art. Tanjore Painting is one of the most prominent types of traditional South Indian paintings. It is the indigenous art form of Thanjavur (also known as Tanjore) city of Tamil Nadu. The intense composition, exterior richness and vivacious shades of Indian Thanjavur Paintings differentiate them from the other kinds of paintings. Then, there are accompaniments of precious stones, pearls and glass pieces that supplement and add to their charm. The relief work gives them a three dimensional appearance which is more popularly known as the 3D effect. Tanjore Painting of India was derived in the 16th century, in the sovereignty of the Cholas.

A majority of these paintings rotate around the subject of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, along with saints. The chief figure is always painted at the center of the painting. These paintings are also locally called Palagai Padam where palagai means wooden plank and padam means picture as they paintings are mostly done on solid wood boards.

Tanjore paintings involve a couple of intricate steps. The first step includes the sketching of the introduction sketch of the image on the base. This base is prepared from a cloth, which is glued over a wooden stand. The next step involves the mixing of chalk powder or zinc oxide with water-soluble adhesive and applying it on the base. Thereafter, the drawing is made and ornamented with cut glass, pearls as well as semi-precious stones. Besides, colorful and attractive laces or threads are also used to embellish the painting. To further enhance the outcome, wafer thin sheets of gold are glued on a few portions of the painting, whereas the other portions are painted in vivid colors.

There are a huge number of people who still take interest in learning this form of art adding their contemporary touch to it.

 As we are trying to cover emerging artists who remain unknown hitherto, the next name in the series is Jitish Kallat. He has earned a name for himself in the highly competitive and choosy world of Indian art. The way, he has emerged on the horizon of Indian art is truly praiseworthy. His prime plank is autobiographical mode that he uses in his works. Many critics may find it obsessive but yet there is a certain appeal to the way he uses self image in his paintings as the main protagonist. To quote him, “My art is more like a researcher’s project who uses quotes rather than an essay, with each painting necessitating a bibliography” clearly outlines his philosophy towards his work. He explores several aspects of his life in his works. His favorite themes include his personal relationships, death, time and relation with ancestry.

Jitish Kallat also excels in his method of painting. His method is quite economical and he prefers to focus on abstract form of paintings. His narrative is quite strong and he often takes help of visual materials that appeal to his senses. Images tend to float in his art works and it’s almost like a complex web work. The mysterious part of his painting emerges from abstract form where viewers have to solve the puzzle. Everyone is free to make his own interpretation and it is u to the viewer to decode the theme of the art work. His paintings are dual in nature and comprehending it as a single theme seems to be a tough ask.

While taking care of titles he uses texts that incorporate element of humor in his paintings. His art works are truly a treat to watch and understanding the theme is even more interesting. 

Devajyoti Ray is a shining star in the galaxy of Indian art world. Born in 1974 in Kolkata, he initially studied economics from legendary Presidency College. Later on, he did his Masters from another prestigious university Jawahar Lal Nehru (JNU) University, New Delhi. He is a fish of different kettle. As his birth year suggests, he is quite young and loves to experiment. He is also perceived as an offbeat artist. He has dabbled in pseudo-realism theme and remember, he is one of those rare Indian artists who love to experiment in pseudo-realism theme. Devjyoti often includes regular scenes from everyday life and that is a fascinating way to put across your expression. You cannot really find a pattern in his art works. But yes, you can get lost in the maze of appealing visuals and colors and yet you will be able to comprehend the meaning. Often touted as ‘rising new star’ of Indian art world, he has made rapid strides in recent time.

Talking about pseudo-realism, it is basically a visual art style that presents the elements of reality but in a distorted way. Things are not presented directly but rather through off beat color schemes and abstract symbols. That bring more effectiveness into the art work, popular imagery is used. The imagery is used through a conscious effort and this makes art work even more compelling. To some extent, pseudo-realism is often associated with graphic art. But that is just a minor resemblance.   

Devajyoti Roy has really excelled at portraying realistic themes through vivid usage of color combination. He has this knack of balancing content and theme in an aesthetic way. His paintings represent harmony and innovativeness. All in all, Devajyoti Roy looks very promising.

Among the exhaustive list of talented contemporary artists, name of Vivan Sundaram stands out. A true talent he is equally efficient in painting and sculpting. What sets him apart from the crowd is his approach towards painting. He is not your predictable drawing room artist. He would rather focus upon completing multidimensional projects that invite audience participation. That sounds quite interesting, no! He has often performed in an open-stage theatre where performer and spectator can indulge in live interactions.  The best part of such performance is continuous feedback and multiple meanings evoked by the performer. In different words, that also provides an altogether different perspective of one’s work.

Art is a subject that does not have any fixed meaning. It is always subject to different interpretations of diverse range of spectators and interesting part is all of them are correct in their analysis. It is a huge compliment for an artist if his work is considered as a cultural product and not just an object to be hanged in the drawing room. Sundarama is one such artist who has managed to evoke fascinating reactions from the audiences. His work is not merely an imagination of unforeseen realities. It is rather concerned with socio-political history and the surrounding environment. The live interaction signifies viewers can observe and let their thought process run wildly and respond accordingly. The object they react to could be a painting or enclosures or a crafted construction.   

Sundarama makes art works that invite reactions. That is quite a unique approach and very rarely seen on art landscape. Sundarama often redesigns, transforms and renews his works in a new fashion and presents it to the world. Considering his fresh approach towards the art works, he is definitely going to stay and excel.

Jayasri Burman is a class apart when it comes to depicting everyday Indian life. She has done exceptionally well when it comes to showcasing the stark reality of normal Indian life. She has done it in a different way; mixing stark reality with magic of folklore and old-world charm. And how she managed to do it and what was her inspiration? Well, let’s hear it from the lady herself; “On starry nights, while we sat on the terrace, our elders would relate mythological stories and all those characters would mesh into themes that emerged as art motifs in my work. Now, when I am asked where I get my mythological references for my work, my answer is that they do not coincide with any authentic narrative but are figments of my childhood imagination that have surfaced on the canvas as figures and forms that I paint.”

Surprisingly, Jayasri has chosen watercolor as her painting medium and that’s a rarity in Indian art world. She uses bold themes and excels in making use of rich strong hues. Many of her art works can be seen with strange hybrid animas as the central characters. These characters have female figures and human heads. She relishes depicting the sensuous side of feminine forms. What gives her feminine forms certain aura are kohl lines eyes, flowers in the hair and casually draped sari. These characters are very aesthetic. She depicts male forms in equally ravishing way and in a fashion that male characters properly complement female forms. Jayasri is known for giving male-female relationship certain mundanity in her art works. She is basically a woman painter and her works speak for her. She has won several awards and exhibitions of her art works have taken place in many places. 

Indian art landscape keeps throwing surprises at rest of the world. India has remained a fertile ground for new breed of artists with immense talent. It is not just about coming to the media light once in a lifetime but its more about silently dedicating life to art. Many such artists can be found across the Indian landscape. One can’t help but think highly of such artists who have kept improving the standards of the art in their way. One such artist is Subodh Gupta who has made people notice his sheer talent. The specialty of his work is connection between past and present experiences that are manifested through art. Many experts have termed Gupta’s work as eccentric imaginings. But these imaginations presented in colors symbolize dimensions of public myths and rituals. His work covers a wide gamut of motifs to important information in an eccentric way.

Subodh Gupta was born in Bihar and completed his studies from Patna. Several of his solo exhibitions have been held at places like Mumbai, Delhi and foreign locations like New York and Amsterdam. He has also been a winner of ‘Emerging Artist Award’ and scholarship from Lalit Kala Academy.

The work of Subodh Gupta can best be seen through the prism of complicated inter-relation and inter-connection of communities spread in urban and rural parts of India. Common events witnessed on a daily basis often work as his motivation. His sense of aesthetic is greatly influenced by objects found all around us. His work of art must be viewed from a contemporary perspective. It’s not about abstract themes. It is more about global issues affecting the fabric of Indian society. Themes like consumerism and the modernization of traditional Indian society are the hallmarks of his art works.

The root of the Patachitra paintings was in the 8th century AD and it is regarded as one of the earliest forms of home-grown paintings. This symbolic form of folk significance is exclusive in the history of Indian and European paintings. The unlikely illustrative ideas, the peculiar conventions, the astonishing arrangement of line patterns and vivacious application of colors make this art form stupendous.

The foundation and growth of Patachitra paintings are associated with the Jagannath Cult. The devotional art of Patachitras is limited to the community of painters called the Chitrakars. The chitrakars reside and perform their inherited art in Puri and in villages on its borders, Raghurajpur and Dandshahi. Every Chitrakar family possesses a family sketchbook handed down from their ancestors. Gods and Goddesses, legends and animals, are all portrayed in these sketchbooks. These books are the chitrakars’ most precious belongings.

The process of arranging the canvas (Pata) is time-consuming, generally taking at least five days. It includes the preparation of a tamarind seed paste, which is mixed with water in a mud pot and focused to additional action. It is called the ‘Niryas Kalpa’. The chitrakar then chooses two pieces of cloth and attaches them together with this paste. Clay powder is then added to the combination and two or three coatings of this blend is applied on to the organized canvas on both the surfaces. When the canvas is dry, it is polished, a process that takes quite a few hours. Painting can begin only when it’s dry.

Patachitras are usually painted in a regular series of steps. The present practice is to put a thick coat of varnish with a cloth. Once the varnish dries, the Patachitra is trimmed down to the attractive margin. The standard painting is finished in a week. But there are complex ones that take maybe even a month.

Indian art world is rich with amazing talents. Some of these talents took paint brush in their hands by sheer chance and some others by design. Take for example, A. Ramachandran, he was designed to be a civil engineer but destiny and his own interests had something else for him. He completed his Master’s degree in Malayalam literature in 1957. Initially, plans were laid to see him through his civil engineering but then art world beckoned. He had an avid interest in art since his childhood and that took him to join Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan and thereafter study art. He even completed his doctorate in paintings and his subject was mural paintings of Kerala.

After completing his doctorate, A Ramachandran moved base to Delhi in 1965. He joined Jamia Milia Islamia University as art Lecturer. Soon enough he was promoted to the post of a professor in the same department. He took voluntary retirement in 1992 and thereafter he was appointed as the honorary chairman of the Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi. He is also a winner of Padma Bhushan.

A Ramachandran excelled in expressionistic paintings. He believed in making powerful figurative. His paintings illustrate anger towards urban life and it was well reflected in his early paintings. Later on, his paintings stated to portray a different theme and it was of tribal community. This was a remarkable change in his perspective. He made great efforts to understand ethos of tribal community and this as certainly a great shift from urban life that he earlier loved to paint. He relished making Rajasthani tribes as the object of his artistic interest. In late eighties, he also created several art works on Kerala murals. Ramachandran really excelled at giving his paintings a visual aura. Ramachandran lives and works in New Delhi.