Art & Entertainment

Portrait Of An Artist

Upendra Maharathi's contribution to Indian art is much ignored

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Portrait Of An Artist
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IN Bihar's fine arts circles, "Maharathiji" is mentioned with reverential awe. There is no need to complete the name, since such respectful whispers can be only directed at Upendra Maharathi, a self-effacing genius who died in 1981 after decades of prolific creative output.

Yet, the situational irony startles. For the first time, the artist's works are being exhibited in New Delhi's National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) after his family donated them to the institution. Despite having become a part of Bihar's folklore and being a Padma Shree recipient, Maharathi has been much less highlighted than many of his contemporaries, who include Nandalal Bose.

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But, this lack of comparable visibility can perhaps be attributed to his approach to creativity. Says his Patna-based daughter, Mahashweta Maharathi: "His attitude was never of a professional artist's. He painted and involved himself in folk traditions to satisfy his own creative urges. In fact, he never held an exhibition of his works while he lived." Born in Orissa in 1908, but moving on to Bihar in 1931, Maharathi's stays at various places were marked by "a couple of private hours in the morning, when he would lock himself up in a room and just paint." He lived the life of a government official but allowed himself an inexpensive indulgence, carrying a notebook to express his creative passions wherever he went.

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While he led an ordinary life, his creative sensibility spawned one work after another. Today, the artist's family has donated about 700 of his works to the NGMA, including about 100 paintings. "They are 50-60 years old," explains his daughter, "and are in urgent need of chemical treatment and preservation which was not possible here." For many art lovers, Maharathi's works will be a delayed revelation. But the exhibition, which continues till September 15, certainly manifests the artist's eclectic temperament and innovative vision. The reason for these isn't hard to trace. Having joined the Calcutta School of Art in 1925 and studied there till 1931, he was deeply influenced by the artistic idiom of the Bengal School. And, several other influences contributed to the process of his artistic growth: for instance, Orissa's folk art and culture, Madhubani paintings, the tribal art of Chhotanagpur. Then there was Bose himself, who had a significant presence in the area of handicrafts. This played a major role in shaping Maharathi's vision while he worked for the promotion and preservation of folk arts.

Even at first glance, Maharathi's creative vision is mesmerising. While doing a pencil sketch of Birsa Munda, the tribal leader, in 1938, he imparted to the eyes an expression that makes the effect unforgettable. Apparently inspired by the Santiniketan school, his memorable painting of Lord Buddha in 1954 is based on the well-known saying of the prophet: "Oh Ananda, if you see the prosperity of Vaishali you can imagine the prosperity of Heaven." This painting is remarkable for the subtle interplay of tones, and Vaishali's affluence is represented by the meticulous exposition of surroundings. Then, there are his paintings of Shiva's "tandava", a celestial dance and a metaphor for creation through destruction; his vision of Buddha preaching the "sangha" of "bhikshus" ; the journey of Ganges through Lord Shiva's locks; his portrait of Mahatma Gandhi which brought to the creation an expressive simplicity matched by few.

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He wasn't a romantic who lived in the cocoon of his own creations while delinked from the cadence of the world outside. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, he involved himself with the textile industry, creating elegant artistic designs in the process. He worked with wood, bamboo and other similar materials, using them with his aesthetic sense to develop creations with heightened levels of beauty and charm.

His sojourns at places like Bodhgaya and Rajgir contributed to his creative perspective; and so did his visit to Japan in 1954 where local art enhanced the expanse of his improvisation and enabled to acquire expertise in the areas of ceramics and lacquer works. In 1955, he founded the Institute of Industrial Research to encourage folk crafts.

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Maharathi was an artist whose contribution none can condone, and especially at a time when the average artist seems to have transformed into a creative chamber of commerce, minting paintings and money at the same time.

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