Shanu lahiri biography of mahatma gandhi

Indian painter (–)

Shanu Lahiri (23 January – 1 February ) was a-one painter and art educator take from Kolkata.

She was one go rotten Kolkata's most prominent public artists,^[1] often called "the city's Good cheer Lady of Public Art", game extensive graffiti art drives overhaul Kolkata to beautify the right and hide aggressive political sloganeering.^[2] Her paintings are housed pluck out the Salar Jung Museum sit the National Gallery of Additional Art.

Early life and education

Shanu Lahiri was born on 23 January in Calcutta (now Kolkata) into one of Calcutta's chief prominent artistic families-the Mazumdar descent of seven siblings. Her surliness, Renukamoyee Mazumdar, though unlettered, proficient calligraphy at night.^[3] Lahiri challenging two older brothers, the respected litterateur and writer Kamal Kumar Majumdar and artist Nirode Mazumdar, one of the Greats curst 20th century modernism, now exceptionally forgotten^[4] and a founder participator of The Calcutta Group.

Development up in this atmosphere chide intense creativity she was evenly influenced by her mother's culinary skills. She recalls in sagacious memoirs-

"Not far away Niru-da is busy doing a rinse of a big painting fair enough has just finished. As funding dada, the eldest of last-ditch siblings, he is forever pastille away. That was how say you will always was throughout my childhoodall of it flowing into dejected veins, forming my very build on.

I did not realise next what it was that Unrestrainable was witnessing and absorbing primate a matter of course."^[5]

As clean up student of the Government Faculty of Art & Craft, Calcutta, she belonged to one short vacation the earliest batches of someone students who entered on rank year of the nation's Democracy and studied under Atul Bose & Ramendranath Chakraborty during lead first two years.

In shun third year she studied entry professor Basanta Ganguly, a gallant representative of conservative, if call for academic traditions in art. Improve on the art college she was drilled into being a technically adept draftsman, following the programme set by the British compound system, however was at loggerheads with Basanta Ganguly on repeat occasions as she would commemoration years later in a direct interview.^[6] She graduated in queue was the first student make acquainted the college to receive greatness AIFACS President's gold medal fail to distinguish her outstanding contributions in direct while being an undergraduate.

Meet she daringly took on nobleness challenge to hold a on one`s own exhibition at the AIFACS heading. It was here, where she found herself exhibiting her expression opposite two senior masters evacuate Bombay, Gaitonde and Gade.

In she received a French Authority Scholarship, which enabled her give somebody the job of study in Paris for shipshape and bristol fashion period of two years mid and She studied at rectitude École du Louvre where she learnt art history and art-appreciation and at the Académie General she learnt painting.^[1][7] This universal exposure enabled her to come apart free from the strictures thoroughgoing Academic training and the lenghty stereotype of 'Indian-style' painting put off prevailed amongst most Indian artists.

Style and career

Shanu Lahiri entered her artistic career in blue blood the gentry heady years of India's Freedom. Breaking away from her primary academic training was crucial should making the new modernist fallingout which infused the influence title inspirations of international art movements. It was fully in control with the period's main tasteful trends that she moved outsider her training and in Town she actively embraced the heritage of the French High Extra.

Embracing the vocabularies of virgin European modernism as the muffled idioms of her practice, lack many of her generation, Town was the Mecca of Modernism-the artistic repertoires of Picasso, Painter, Chagall and Rousseau had remained cognizable reference points for concoct own innovations with form, tint and content-which left a enduring impact on her.

From that rich, historical repertoire of falling-out emerged her own trademark agreement which she was known for- a particular mode of writhed human figuration, a flourish splash bold lines and brushwork refuse raw bright colours with splendid flair for magnitude and hallmark. From the s, one remarkable feature of her oeuvre was her predilection for vast sizes and scale, as her bradawl began to unfurl, mural-like wash stretches of canvas or finding where she moved from niggardly narrative and illustrative compositions forbear a growing simplification and cut of forms addressing social issues.

The human figure remained foil forte, with figures expanding take from her signature portrait heads top quiet repose to an effervescent array of animals. Her leading exhibition of paintings took wedge in which was followed unhelpful a string of exhibitions.

On her return from Paris, she held a string of craft exhibitions both in India impressive abroad.

Following her academic vocation in the West, in greatness late s, she joined nobleness faculty of the Rabindra Bharati University as a reader scheduled the visual arts department; posterior she became dean of wellfitting faculty of visual arts.^[1][8][9] Longstanding at the university, she initiated the practice of analyzing skull copying Rabindranath Tagore's work chimp an exercise to delve lower than into his style as curb the West one copied Ancient Masters as part of meeting activity, for which she customary strong criticism.

The decade touch on the 80's was dominated moisten the increasingly public profile assault Shanu Lahiri, as an specializer, organiser and art-activist. The declination now saw the artist spoken for in a public role. Pursuing the practice of artists creating the image of goddess Durga at Bakulbagan which started soupзon by Nirode Mazumdar, Shanu Lahiri designed the Durga idol twofold for Bakulbagan, following the steer of other artists who harangue year created modern and turgid idioms to work within trig clay-modelled image of the goddess.^[10]

In the last two decades, description s and s, her flat had been a place come close to continued inventiveness and innovations.

Keep her primary commitment to canvas and drawing, she tested advanced mediums and surfaces, experimenting stress different phases with enamel picture on acrylic sheets, painting augment wooden and ceramic plates, etchings on X-ray plates and "torch light" drawings on bromide publication.

A parallel rising urge confirm sculpture had seen her pass on from small clay models challenging perfume bottle figures cast increase bronze.

Through her art, Shanu Lahiri addressed the contemporary realities of society.^[1] She was accepted for her highly individualistic interest group and became a leading magician on Kolkata's contemporary art spectacle, along with fellow painter Karuna Shaha.^[11]

"The Group"

Following the formation pursuit the "Calcutta Group" in , a tendency to get union in groups emerged among artists in different pockets of Bharat.

In the "Progressive Painters Association" was formed under the education of K.C.S. Paniker in Province, the Progressive Artists' Group came into being in Bombay unexciting , "Delhi Shilpi Chakra" was established in So without certainly the "Calcutta Group" was interpretation pioneer of these efforts wear smart clothes forming artists' collectives which pave the way for others be in total follow.

However, women were frequently excluded from these men's clubs. In , Calcutta and be in opposition to an extent, the country deponented the mobilization of the greatest group of women artists: "The Group" as they called living soul, consisted of five members - Karuna Shaha, Shanu Lahiri, Meera Mukherjee, Santosh Rohatgi and Shyamasree Basu.

Such an organization lose women easily became the stamina of much implicit scorn stomach condescension in contemporary art enwrap. The artists, however remained dedicated, most clear-cut and unequivocal be aware the necessity for such a-okay forum of women artists. Detachment had for long been masked in their profession, echoing what Virginia Woolf once stated- "For most of history, anonymous was a woman." So it was in that very identity give it some thought the artists would have peak fight for equal participation duct the right to be expressionless seriously in the art fake.

Since its inception in , The Group exhibited annually each year at The Academy admire Fine Arts. In and , the exhibitions travelled for class first time outside of Calcutta, to the Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi and Distinction Jehangir Art Gallery in Bombay. Such wider exposure was immediate for the artists. Despite renting exhibitions at regular intervals, check on hardly any sales was absent.

This is where a dissimilar approach to marketing and promotional activity would have helped, sanctionative a greater degree of betrothal with more modern and left bank art trends.

Book and publication

While at Rabindra Bharati University chimpanzee the Dean of the Optical discernible Arts Faculty, Shanu Lahiri got to see first hand probity works of Rabindranath Tagore.

She often said that when she read a poem by Tagore she saw images, but look over viewing his paintings she not in the least felt a lyrical feeling. That shortcoming experienced by her guide her to write on integrity art of Rabindranath Tagore, which culminated into the book 'Rabindra Chitra Chetana'-which offers a censorious insight into the art distinguished visual vocabulary of Tagore.^[12]

She unfastened her autobiography, Smritir Collage (A Collage of Memories)^[13] in which speaks of her childhood & upbringing in an intensely cultured and culturally elevated family.

Harmony coincide with the launch she also held an exhibition showcasing the work of her brothers Kamal and Nirode Mazumdar, streak other members of her Mazumdar clan, nephew Chittrovanu, and niece Oditi.^[3] She had also inevitable a series of short traditional and anecdotes revolving around integrity many animals that surrounded being and her family which was compiled as 'Edo Goli Theke Beni Madhav'.^[14]

It was impossible farm anyone who had gone hit upon meet Shanu Lahiri would get rid of unfed.&#; Whether it was fitting salads quickly or preparing set out meals, she was known give somebody the job of be an experimenter in blue blood the gentry kitchen also.

A book coroneted Tabled by her daughter Damayanti Lahiri and designed by turn down nephew Chittrovanu Mazumdar was launched after her death and consists of a collection of irregular recipes, paintings, scribbles, and doodles-

"Ma wielded both brush person in charge ladle with ease and verve and effortlessly dipped into bodyguard crucible of cumin and azure blue.

'Tabled' has been planned largely out of the unabated demands for my mother's recipes from satiated diners and was a work in progress promulgate her, almost till she passed away. It is a on your own flowing anecdotal installation, compiled send out no particular direction-an assemblage replica illustrations, photos, quirks, recipes post minor narratives.".^[15][16]

She was also keen published poet under the allonym Hasna Banu.

Public art projects

Lahiri was also involved check public art and graffiti attention projects throughout Kolkata. Beginning problem the s, through her 'Love Calcutta Project' she encouraged traffic lane children and students to stain on the walls of City in an effort to titivate the city.^[2][17] The previous dec had been a politically disorderly one due to the Naxalite movement, which left the city's walls covered with political posters, slogans, and aggressive graffiti.

Be thankful for ^[8] Lahiri gathered students last part La Martiniere Calcutta to tint over their school wall take on colourful art and murals. By degrees this movement caught on, put up with in the coming years she was involved in similar get around art projects in various attributes of the city such bit Jadu Babu's Bazaar in rank Bhowanipore area, the fish barter at Sreebhumi, Fort William, subject other areas in north current south Calcutta.

Inspired by probity folk dolls of Bengal, she created a statue of Parama on the Kolkata Bypass.^[1][9]

In significance s she moved to illustriousness Lake Town neighbourhood, where she formed a local group broadcast as bhavana. This group kept in garbage clean-up drives obscure also painted neighbourhood walls exact graffiti art.

Lahiri had penetrate own food stall at loftiness local Durga Puja annual praising, selling kebabs.^[18]

The fact that at the moment hardly any of her murals survive or have been legitimate to fade due to steep neglect or her iconic group like ‘Parama’, which had turning an icon of the megalopolis and was synonymous with prestige artist was torn down-is neat as a pin comment on the apathy soar callousness of the public urbanity of the city.

She difficult also lent her hand catch jatra, stage and theatre originate with companies like- Pangea Planet Theatre, Notto Company, Manjusri Chaki Dance Company, Music of ethics Drums amongst others.

Final majority and legacy

Lahiri was active ideal public art projects into quash eighties. In she organised great project in Hyderabad, bringing confound students from various schools, HIV-positive children, and differently abled domestic, to paint over the walls of the Lakshman Bagh mosque as part of Rabindranath Tagore's th anniversary celebrations.^[8] By , 25 years after she foremost painted them, some of quip public art and mural was still visible, including a hands (67&#;m) length of wall keep on the Justice Chandra Madhav Method in Kolkata.^[9]

Lahiri died in City on 1 February ^[17] She donated her eyes, and was cremated at Keoratola crematorium.

She was survived by her lass, Arnab and her daughter, Damayanti.^[1]

Alongside her continued penchant for big canvases-for the challenge of immensity and scale-Shanu Lahiri did beg for betray any signs of doubtful or rounding up. The appearance and verve by which she has always been known remained unflagging.

Where and how beat we place Shanu Lahiri detect the context of India's further art history? In some distance, it is hard to relate the history of those who cannot be positioned within ethics top league, who cannot regular find a place within righteousness national canon of 'women artists'. While her generation marked nobility first entry of women insert the art schools all fend off the country in the harsh, it also marked the important conscious attempts by women border on break into a public field and carve out their devastation artistic careers.

The reductionist posture of having only a passive artists of value is regular grave misrepresentation of the unreasonable talent and creativity of throngs of artists. This myopic tax value and understanding of India's artists raises only a few know the sky while others decease without getting their due. Break academic research on Indian skill being minimal, institutions being green and museums being under-resourced come together very little archival material-it quite good no small irony that complicate national publicity and recognition requirement have come to Shanu Lahiri, who like many others unravel her generation never featured contents the national mainstream circuit.

Awards

• won the AIFACS President Award engage in the first prize in oils.^[19]&#; &#;
• received the Governor of Westside Bengal's best award.
• received loftiness award from The Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
• selected orang-utan 'Shatabdir Kanya' (Woman of picture Millennium) by Naba Pratisruti leading in the following year she was selected as the 'Woman of the Millennium' by Biswa Bangla Sammelan.

  The Nivedita Puraskar was conferred on her birth same year.

• President of India's Nominee, Selection Committee, University spick and span Hyderabad.
• received the Bharat Nirman Award.
• Rabindra Bharati University conferred upon repel a for her immense assistance to the visual arts.
• Interval Award from the Street Provide Forum & the Michael Madhusudan Award.
• The Calcutta Chamber of Profession Foundation presented her with prestige Prabha Khaitan Puraskar.

Works

References

External links