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拍品專文
Many critics and scholars have written about the effortless and ascetic charm of Ram Kumar’s work – it is clear that he has “no desire to shock or seduce the viewer’s eye”, yet his paintings captivate viewers with their striking sense of reflection (S. Lal, Ram Kumar, a Journey Within, New Delhi, 1996, p. 15). The artist’s unindulgent brushstrokes have undoubtedly made a mark on modern Indian painting, firmly establishing his place in the ranks of the most important post-colonial artists in South Asia.
Born in 1924 in Shimla, this year marks Ram Kumar’s birth centenary, and we are honored to present a significant selection of lots in this catalogue that celebrate his life and work. Kumar’s artistic trajectory was incredibly dynamic, with his artistic practice sharply transitioning from figuration to abstraction early in his career, and then relentlessly negotiating between the two over the course of more than five decades. His pursuit of art began in Delhi and soon took him to Paris, where he studied under the esteemed tutelage of Andre Lhote and Fernand Leger, whose technique and “tremendous human warmth” profoundly inspired the artist’s early work (Artist statement, Ram Kumar, exhibition catalogue, London, 2007, p. 98).
Marking the beginnings of the significant artistic journey Ram Kumar undertook, we are honored to present lots 620-626, an important collection of rare and vibrant early works by the artist from the collection of his family. Alongside these, the catalogue includes a selection of paintings and works on paper by the artist dating from the 1960s onwards (lots 638-641 and 696-696), which trace the unique arc of his extensive career.
The present group of early landscapes and figurative works on paper represents what Kumar did best as a young artist – capturing the people and environment around him in an astoundingly earnest manner. The landscapes in this collection represent the artist’s most initial experiments with paint, as a student of Sarada Ukil’s art classes in New Delhi, which have not been seen in public since his first exhibition in 1949. Ram Kumar’s thick application of paint and the broken color of these works clearly indicate the modernist influences that were already shaping his artistic sensibility. These landscapes are impressionistic, with surfaces full of texture and movement. Kumar’s inner stirrings, upon recalling the rolling hills and forests of his childhood in Simla, are translated onto the painted surface. A patient eye can clearly discern the swirls and imprints of his brush and the flitting movements of his hand captured in paint. Certainly, these works are foundational in his oeuvre, foreshadowing later works, painted when his affinity towards the landscape had developed so profoundly that he discarded the human subject and representative forms altogether.
Likely painted a couple years after these landscapes, and following his studies in Paris, the figurative works from this group highlight the particular pathos that defined the artist’s early practice. The faces he depicts are often afflicted by some sense of sadness – perhaps forlornness, melancholy or loneliness. “As a young artist, Ram Kumar was captivated by, or, rather obsessed with, the human face because of the ease and intensity with which it registers the drama of life” (S. Lal, Ram Kumar, a Journey Within, New Delhi, 1996, p. 15). None of the figures in these works are portrayed in action or speech, and there is no trace of rage or hint of protest among them. Instead, their expressions, acutely defined by sharp eyes and pursed lips, tell us all we need to know about their story.
These figures were also influenced by the ideologies and artwork of other social realist artists Kumar had met on his travels through France and Europe like Kathe Kollwitz. While these are raw images of real people, they do not necessarily capture a tragic story, in a Western sense, but “in the Indian way of thinking… a void at the heart of things” (Ibid., New Delhi, 1996, p. 16). There is no material violence or tragedy which the subjects are confronted within the frame, and hence, Ram Kumar renders a narrative not of personal misfortune, but metaphysical anguish. Later in his career, the artist would turn back to figuration, although his subjects were now located within the new, abstract worlds he conjured from paint. A strong example of this later figuration can be found in lot 638, executed in 2012, just a few years before the artist’s death.
An integral part of this collection of early works from the artist’s family, Ram Kumar’s Paris sketchbook from 1950 contains 26 drawings and gouache paintings that capture the raw essence of his creative process as he honed his technique in the ateliers of Lhote and Leger. Mostly figure studies, one can see how Kumar developed his formal skills with an emphasis on anatomy, before slowly experimenting with fragmentation and breaking conventions as he honed his visual vocabulary. The painted images in this sketchbook are vibrantly colored and use bold lines to demarcate space, which are unique characteristics of the artist’s work from this period.
Standing at the forefront of the first generation of modern Indian artists, Ram Kumar tied together his origins with his experiences of international modernism, turning to childhood memories and geographies for both inspiration and salvation. As the viewer explores these early works on paper, it becomes evident that putting into words the complex feelings they evoke is near impossible. As with his later paintings, however, these works may be read as sites of solitude, whether they include many figures, a singular one, or none at all.
Born in 1924 in Shimla, this year marks Ram Kumar’s birth centenary, and we are honored to present a significant selection of lots in this catalogue that celebrate his life and work. Kumar’s artistic trajectory was incredibly dynamic, with his artistic practice sharply transitioning from figuration to abstraction early in his career, and then relentlessly negotiating between the two over the course of more than five decades. His pursuit of art began in Delhi and soon took him to Paris, where he studied under the esteemed tutelage of Andre Lhote and Fernand Leger, whose technique and “tremendous human warmth” profoundly inspired the artist’s early work (Artist statement, Ram Kumar, exhibition catalogue, London, 2007, p. 98).
Marking the beginnings of the significant artistic journey Ram Kumar undertook, we are honored to present lots 620-626, an important collection of rare and vibrant early works by the artist from the collection of his family. Alongside these, the catalogue includes a selection of paintings and works on paper by the artist dating from the 1960s onwards (lots 638-641 and 696-696), which trace the unique arc of his extensive career.
The present group of early landscapes and figurative works on paper represents what Kumar did best as a young artist – capturing the people and environment around him in an astoundingly earnest manner. The landscapes in this collection represent the artist’s most initial experiments with paint, as a student of Sarada Ukil’s art classes in New Delhi, which have not been seen in public since his first exhibition in 1949. Ram Kumar’s thick application of paint and the broken color of these works clearly indicate the modernist influences that were already shaping his artistic sensibility. These landscapes are impressionistic, with surfaces full of texture and movement. Kumar’s inner stirrings, upon recalling the rolling hills and forests of his childhood in Simla, are translated onto the painted surface. A patient eye can clearly discern the swirls and imprints of his brush and the flitting movements of his hand captured in paint. Certainly, these works are foundational in his oeuvre, foreshadowing later works, painted when his affinity towards the landscape had developed so profoundly that he discarded the human subject and representative forms altogether.
Likely painted a couple years after these landscapes, and following his studies in Paris, the figurative works from this group highlight the particular pathos that defined the artist’s early practice. The faces he depicts are often afflicted by some sense of sadness – perhaps forlornness, melancholy or loneliness. “As a young artist, Ram Kumar was captivated by, or, rather obsessed with, the human face because of the ease and intensity with which it registers the drama of life” (S. Lal, Ram Kumar, a Journey Within, New Delhi, 1996, p. 15). None of the figures in these works are portrayed in action or speech, and there is no trace of rage or hint of protest among them. Instead, their expressions, acutely defined by sharp eyes and pursed lips, tell us all we need to know about their story.
These figures were also influenced by the ideologies and artwork of other social realist artists Kumar had met on his travels through France and Europe like Kathe Kollwitz. While these are raw images of real people, they do not necessarily capture a tragic story, in a Western sense, but “in the Indian way of thinking… a void at the heart of things” (Ibid., New Delhi, 1996, p. 16). There is no material violence or tragedy which the subjects are confronted within the frame, and hence, Ram Kumar renders a narrative not of personal misfortune, but metaphysical anguish. Later in his career, the artist would turn back to figuration, although his subjects were now located within the new, abstract worlds he conjured from paint. A strong example of this later figuration can be found in lot 638, executed in 2012, just a few years before the artist’s death.
An integral part of this collection of early works from the artist’s family, Ram Kumar’s Paris sketchbook from 1950 contains 26 drawings and gouache paintings that capture the raw essence of his creative process as he honed his technique in the ateliers of Lhote and Leger. Mostly figure studies, one can see how Kumar developed his formal skills with an emphasis on anatomy, before slowly experimenting with fragmentation and breaking conventions as he honed his visual vocabulary. The painted images in this sketchbook are vibrantly colored and use bold lines to demarcate space, which are unique characteristics of the artist’s work from this period.
Standing at the forefront of the first generation of modern Indian artists, Ram Kumar tied together his origins with his experiences of international modernism, turning to childhood memories and geographies for both inspiration and salvation. As the viewer explores these early works on paper, it becomes evident that putting into words the complex feelings they evoke is near impossible. As with his later paintings, however, these works may be read as sites of solitude, whether they include many figures, a singular one, or none at all.