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Lot 35

 

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The present lot, an early charcoal and ink drawing, represents a transitional period in Ram Kumar's oeuvre, bridging the artist's early austere, despondent cityscapes of the mid and late 1950s with the more abstract landscapes he painted in the following decades.

Perhaps reminiscent of the artist's first experience of the holy city of Banaras, which came to have a deep impact on his oeuvre, in this semi-abstract cityscape the... The present lot, an early charcoal and ink drawing, represents a transitional period in Ram Kumar's oeuvre, bridging the artist's early austere, despondent cityscapes of the mid and late 1950s with the more abstract landscapes he painted in the following decades.

Perhaps reminiscent of the artist's first experience of the holy city of Banaras, which came to have a deep impact on his oeuvre, in this semi-abstract cityscape the remnants of what seems to be a fortress wall share the frame with a group of dilapidated structures that lean precariously against each other, all under the pitch black canopy of the nighttime sky.

Speaking about this encounter, the artist notes, "I had gone to Banaras for the first time about 35 years ago. It was in the middle of winter. And I had reached late at night. The dimly lit lanes were deserted and gave an impression of a ghostly deserted city. Except for the occasional howl of stray dogs, all was quiet. I thought the city was only inhabited by the dead and their dead souls. It looked like a haunted place and still remains the same. The main purpose of coming to Banaras was to feel its depth and intensity. I had to see and feel the city in terms of lines and forms with a new visual experience" (as quoted in Ram Kumar a Journey Within, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, 1996, p. 89).

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