Ram Kumar`s relation to figuration has undergone a series of transmutations. In the late 1950s, the artist turned away from his depiction of melancholy, alienated people to the portrayal of increasing abstract landscapes - "always diffident and marginal in Ram Kumar`s art the figure disappeared entirely." (p. 6, Ranjit Hoskote, "Parts of a World", Ram Kumar, Saffronart & Pundole Art Gallery, Exhibition Catalogue 2002) However,...
Ram Kumar`s relation to figuration has undergone a series of transmutations. In the late 1950s, the artist turned away from his depiction of melancholy, alienated people to the portrayal of increasing abstract landscapes - "always diffident and marginal in Ram Kumar`s art the figure disappeared entirely." (p. 6, Ranjit Hoskote, "Parts of a World", Ram Kumar, Saffronart & Pundole Art Gallery, Exhibition Catalogue 2002) However, in 2001 the human form began to reappear in Ram Kumar`s shattered panoramas, albeit barely delineated against the semi-abstract planes.
In this painting, the figure of a man is vaguely suggested at the forefront of the canvas. Echoing the earthy tones of his environment, he seems at times to melt back into the fractured planes of the painting. It is this chimerical manifestation of the human form that points to an integral facet of Ram Kumar`s aesthetic. Lacking all but a suggestion of facial features and distinct characteristics, the man is virtually devoid of individuality. He becomes a symbol of the fragility of human existence.