Art with Amruta.. Boshu and Sumie 

Hi all !

It’s me Amruta…standing ramrod straight ..

Proudly listening to the strains of Tagores 

NATIONAL  ANTHEM….yes  all  52 seconds of it…

And prouder than ever TODAY of the INDIAN CONSTITUTION …

Why TODAY Amruta??

Well Twinny…

Today I discovered that apart from the fact that the Indian Constitution is the LONGEST in the whole world ( Monaco has the shortest while the UK , Israel and NewZealand don’t have any  !)…..
 it is also a WORK of ART!

The CALLIGRAPHY is hand painted .. by Prem Raizada 

And the ARTWORK …creative and decorative ….dug out from Indian History is 

done by India’s most gentle and modest artist .. 

NANDALAL BOSE

Pronounced…NONDO LAL BOSHU… !

Soooooo  sweet!

(1882- 1966)

Here he is .. 

He also designed the emblem of the Bharat Ratna and Padma Shri Awards…

( Jawahar lal Nehru asked him to!)

And himself was a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan ..

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Nandalal may have failed all his college exams but by all the students of Shantiniketan of which he was the Principal …and in the world of Modern Indian Art he stands out like a SHY SHINING STAR…..

Look at his Paintings..

You will understand why !

Mesmerising.. in colours and forms.. he was influenced by the MURAL art of Ajanta Ellora ( a Unesco world heritage site dating back to the 2 nd century BC!)

By the Stupa of Gaya

By the temples of Mahabalipuram ..

And ALL that was INDIAN!

 An  AMALGAMATION of watercolours and techniques magical !

His subjects were often Religious or Mythological…

Or of women ….

Or indigenous .. 

exploring themes around him.. the bangle seller, the village potter ,the Esraj player, the humble cow..

Here are some postcards and the Haripura posters made at the behest of his friend Gandhiji for the Indian National Congress …in 1938

He could paint and he could draw masterfully!
Master PAINTER  and DRAUGHTSMAN !

What’s the difference Amruta..??

Painter and Sketcher….

Everyone CANNOT do BOTH Twinny!

He used indigenous materials …water colours and opaque pigments like tempera..

Eschewing Oil which was used in the west..

He especially loved the fluidity of the 

Japanese ‘ WASH ‘

technique…

And the 2000 year old INKWASH painting tradition rooted in 

Zen Buddhism….called

SUMI -E!

 SUMI … such  a pretty name Amruta …

What does it mean??

SUMI -e means ink wash painting ! Black ink is used with consummate skill .. on 

Rice paper or silk scrolls ..

One paints with great concentration, clarity and simplicity

Look at these pictures Twinny .. SUMI-E is not as easy as it seems …

Oh Twinny .. I simply love this art …..Especially the 

Empty spaces! 

What do you love in EMPTY spaces

 Amruta ???

Oh Twinny ..Empty spaces say so much ..!

They have power within!

Take this Japanese SUMIE painting for example ..

You can feel the MOVEMENT of the fish in water despite there being no water… just empty space…

Or my dear  friend Dr Geetanjalis contemporary rendition of Radha Krishna…

Swinging in harmony in an ethereal space .. unto eternity
Or …
Nanda Lal Boses black and white linocut of Gandhiji !

He made this in 1930 …and this is the enduring image in our minds of the Dandi March ..the nonviolent movement against the salt tax imposed by the British…

The linocut shows Gandhi ji striding forward and onward ..staff in hand..
We see no path , no road ..but we FEEL the sense of purpose!

Indeed it is 
the EMPTY SPACES  which speak Twinny!

I get it Amruta !

I am going to RESERVE some EMPTY space for myself ..

And 

Do just as I please…

Oh Twinny …….you will set up house anywhere!

Even in a temporarily vacant parking lot!

Enjoy your ☕️!
Byeeeee!!!