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Same lineage, varied insight – The Hindu

The Father & Son exhibition at IIC
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The canvasses mounted at the Art Gallery of Kamaladevi Complex, IIC, range from miniature landscapes painted in a delicate wash technique by Bireswar Sen to bold visual narratives portraying urban and rural life painted by his son Sureshwar Sen. They showcase the contrasting painting styles present in a single lineage of two different artists.

“Bireswar Sen specialized in soft visualization of landscapes while his son Sureshwar Sen’s paintings hold portrayals through vibrant colours and dynamic brushwork”, says Ella Datta, an art historian and member of the curatorial team. “The works of both the father and the son have the same lineage and yet a varied insight of looking at them”, she says. While Bireswar is famous for his miniature landscapes, Sureshwar expresses modernism and the urban world.

Some of the best works of Bireswar Sen are Home at Last and Flowering Kasha Reeds. The titles of his paintings are influenced by English literature. On the other hand, Sureshwar Sen’s Varanasi Ghat series from the 1970s engages with contemporary art movements, characterized by thick calligraphic lines and expressionistic distortions.

The Patriarch by Bireswar Sen

The Patriarch by Bireswar Sen
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The exhibition highlights the evolution of Indian art during a transformative period in history and serves as a platform to experience how the two artists navigated their artistic journey to influence and help art lovers explore the rich tapestry of Indian culture and nature’s sublimity.

“The exhibition is divided into sections such as ‘Sketches from Life’ and ‘Imaginings’, that bring out the contrasting styles of work of my father and grandfather”, says Sureshwar’s son, Prithviswar Sen, who is also a part of the curatorial team.

With 85 paintings on display, ‘Father & Son’ is more than an aesthetic exhibition; it is a celebration of legacy, deep familial bonds and the contribution of both the artists to Indian art and how their work still resonates within its fabric. Besides the generational shift in approach, what strikes us is the exploration of the fusion of multiple cultures of painting drawn from different parts of the globe.

Though Lucknow was the home of both the artists, their works draw on many centres including the Bengal School of Jorasankho and Santiniketan while cross-fertilising with other metropolitan art centres in India and many other countries, especially Japan.

Painting by Sureshwar Sen

Painting by Sureshwar Sen
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Datta says that both father and son experimented a lot. “Bireswar’s manner of drawing with a fine brush line and the water colour and wash technique used as a medium, bear the characteristics of the Bengal School. But what he does with them is purely his own idiom.”

The exhibition also honours art historian and author, the late Professor B.N. Goswamy, who envisioned this unique father-son duo exhibition in January last year. After his demise, the curatorial team took the idea forward. The professor had studied and written extensively, since 2007, on Bireswar Sen’s works (1897 to 1974), once wrote in admiration that Bireswar’s landscapes evoke the feeling of wonder, bordering gently on veneration and it never goes.. “

“What adds greatly to the charm of Bireswar’s works and makes them so engaging is the human presence that is painted on so minuscule a scale as to be almost unnoticeable, but is always there. In contrast, human figures, particularly women, are often foregrounded in Sureshwar’s (1923 to 1980) works,” he wrote.

Despite their stylistic differences, the artworks of both artists demand attentiveness, neither of them makes viewing easy and simple. The exhibition can be viewed in many ways; viewers can sense the range and diversity in the exhibits.

Garima Sharma

At Art Gallery, Kamaladevi Complex, India International Centre, 40 Max Mueller Marg; Till December 24; 11am to 7pm


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