This painting is titled Pink Field and the Flute Player. It is painted by Manjit Bawa (1941-2008) using oil on canvas. This is now exhibited in the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.
- Identifier
- ngma-03840
- Material
- Oil, Canvas
- Note
- Manjit Bawa's works are easily recognisable for their distinctly individualistic style. The artist started his career as a silk screen printer but experimented over the decades with his artistic style and techniques skirting with abstraction, Tantric art forms, usage of textured layers and contorted human limbs in his works to emerge as one of the nation's foremost figurative painters. Manjit Bawa finally arrived at his indisputable style of painting formable human forms, round and supple in their essence and exuding gentle warmth and compassion. The artist also broke away from the monotony of painting in greys and browns, preferred by his peer artists and rather chose to paint using bright Indian red, yellow and greens.The artist sought his inspiration in the Pahari miniature paintings, the folk paintings themed on the life of Krishna, tenets of Sufi mysticism, stories from the Mahabharata, Ramayan and Puranas and the popular native love stories of Heer Ranjha from Punjab. He particularly favoured the depiction of Lord Krishna and life episodes where the lord is seated in the ethereal surrounding of dense groves, playing flute to his livestock and the followers who have gathered around him. Being a firm believer in Sufi traditions, Bawa's works reflect the inner calm and harmony advocated by his faith which has always endorsed of a cordial relationship between man and nature. His love for philosophy is also in his characters that have an affably meditative countenance and emanate joy through their kind and demure gestures and their tender looks and glances. Also to note is the treatment of the drapes of his figures with their soft folds and pleats, be it the flowing scarves or the dhoti worn by his characters. Birds, animals, trees make a constant appearance in his paintings and are playful yet naive in their appearance.Manjit Bawa died in December 2008.
- Pages
- 172.5 x 137 cm
- Published in
- India
- Type
- Painting
