Harvest 2019

A show that celebrates art...

Art has a remarkable quality that allows an art lover to relate to and appreciate works not only of different periods of history but of different styles as well. This inclusive quality of art reminds one that aesthetic excellence is not merely something in the eye of the viewer but that the eye itself is gifted with the capacity of relating to a broad range of aesthetic stimuli which in turn reflect how aesthetic objects are repositories developed over time, of broad principles of creativity of humanity as a whole. Harvest 2019 reflects not only the search for objects emerging from these creative principles but also possessing the capacity to present them in a manner through which the viewer himself or herself exercises the capability to appreciate, relate to an understand good art. This is something that every curator tries to present while the viewer responds to it spontaneously or through his or her aesthetic sense developed over time and as a result of repeated exposures. The early Bengal compositions based on European originals, the various trends of folk and tribal art with some of our best modernists like Jamini Roy and T. Vaikuntam creating a new visual dialogue between the two, with some of the tribal artists, especially of the Shyam family, which has produced a number of talented artists, starting with Jangarh Singh Shyam, have succeeded in carrying their tribal art across to modernistic presentations. The centre-piece of the exhibition is no doubt the Bombay Group artists, F.N. Souza, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Ram Kumar, Akbar Padamsee and Krishen Khanna. From Bengal we have artists like Nandalal Bose, Sunil Das, Sakti Burman, Jogen Choudhuri, Paresh Maity, Sanjay Bhattacharya and Bratin Khan. Of the Baroda group we have Bhupen Khakhar, and also artists like Satish Gujral, K.G. Subramanyan, Lalu Prasad Shaw, K.S. Kulkarni, George Martin, Roy Thomas and Achuthan Kuddallur from different parts of the country. Among the non-figuratives we have a wide range from Zarina Hashmi, Prabhakar Kolte, John Tun Sen, Shobha Broota, Harish Guha, Sundeep Jodung, Gopi Gajwani, Pandit Khairnar, Vanita Gupta, Faiza Huma, Sanjay Sawant and Nandan Purakayastha and Sweety Joshi. This time, however, we have a lot of young artists and those from other countries, like Farhad Husain, Pallav Chander, Marty Dauthen and Richard Poppit. This time we have a wide range of sculptures ranging from masters like Shakti Burman, K. Laxma Gowd, T. Vaikuntam, G. Reghu, Nandita Jain, Anton Connoley, Josh Mayhem, Venkat Bothsa, Shashi K Paul, Tutu Patnaik, and Sheela Chamaria, to name only a few. I have chosen to highlight some works and not others as I prefer to leave the task of a broader vision to the viewers themselves for that is what artistic appreciation is about in essence. Suneet Chopra, Art Critic, Writer.