An installation shot of the 1989 exhibition ‘The Other Story’ showing paintings by Sri Lankan modernist Ivan Peries, alongside sculptures by Ronald Moody, whose work is currently on display at the Hepworth Wakefield in the exhibition ‘Sculpting Life’.
@hepworthwakefield#ivanperies#ronaldmoody#theotherstory#rasheedaraeen
Souza and the Nuclear Threat
Souza first lived in Paddington, then North Kensington, and was in Hampstead in the mid 1950’s. By 1961, after making waves in the art scene, he bought a mansion at number 9 Belsize Park, where he lived and worked (he sublet the ground floor at the time flat to Keith Vaughan).
Souza made three important paintings during this time; The Apocalypse, The Mad Prophet of New York, and Oedipus Rex, which we have brought together for the first time. Mad Prophet and Oedipus Rex were exhibited in Souza’s 1961 Gallery One exhibition, and The Apocalypse appeared in Kumar Gallery’s 1962 Souza show.
Souza was an expressionist artist and one of the greatest post-war British artists who conveyed the fear and anguish of the generation. His distorted, tormented, spiky figures took London by storm, for example, The Crucifixion, is one of the masterpieces at Tate Britain.
However, by 1961 he was deeply disturbed by the resumption of nuclear testing, which saw global civil protests such as the Aldermaston Marches and Pauling’s March in the US. Like several of his contemporaries Souza was compelled to protest, and he did so in paint.
Souza writes: “The Mad Prophet in New York, Why Mad? Why New York? Why the radiation-bitten hands? The only effective action to halt the drift to nuclear war is civil disobedience – NOW. Or these are the last days of mankind.”
The works show a forewarning of the terrors of nuclear and atomic radiation and Souza’s disbelief in this decision… In The Apocalypse, he shows Christ with the stigmata raising his arms in surrender and in Oedipus Rex the prodigal son again fulfils his prophecy this time representing humanity’s betrayal by the powers that be to resume nuclear testing.
Souza in Hampstead
19 - 23 June, 2024
Images:
• Oedipus Rex/ Mad Prophet in New York/ The Apocalypse
• Young Ladies in Belsize Park/ Chalk Farm
• Elena Crippa discussing Souza’s work
• Bertrand Russell in Trafalgar Square London at the London to Aldermaston March, 1959
• Elena Crippa
• Linus Pauling leading an Anti Nuclear march, USA, 1962
@souza.centenary#fnsouza#francisnewtonsouza#indianmodernism#bombaypag#britishmodernism
‘I was able to develop the linear relief and hieroglyphic aspects of Egyptian art and the rough texture of the Lascaux caves into a contemporary synthesis, while retaining the colours of Indian miniature paintings.’
- Mohan Samant
Having studied under Shankar Palsikar at the Sir J.J. School of Art he joined the second flush of the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group and exhibited extensively throughout the late 1950s and ‘60s. Shortly after exhibiting at the Venice Biennale in 1957, he spent a year in Rome on a government scholarship, before being awarded a Rockefeller fellowship, which took him to New York from 1959–64. During this time, he started exhibiting internationally and with World House Galleries in New York. This painting was given to friends of his in 1964 shortly before his return to India. He would later relocate to New York permanently.
Samant was fascinated by ancient art, especially that of Egypt, and took further inspiration from Mughal miniatures, Jain manuscript paintings, and tribal and folk symbolism. In his paintings, he fused Hindu mythology with these external influences. Samant’s relief-like impasto and deeply textured works recall the rough surfaces of rocks and caves.
Images:
Lascaux Caves, circa 15,000 BCE
Egyptian tomb painting, circa 1400 BCE
Our exhibition ‘South Asian Modern Art 2024’ continues until 5 July.
The show features work by some of the foremost artists from the region, a highlight being ‘A Moonlight Music Party’ by Abanindranath Tagore from the Norman collection of Bengal School paintings. Shown for the first time in over 100 years.
Nek Chand’s Rock Garden
‘I made one thing, then a second, and then a third and I liked the results… I began creating a city of gods and goddesses. You could see life in the rocks and see all the gods and goddesses in the rocks.’
- Nek Chand
Nek Chand was born in Berian Kalan, a village in what is now Pakistan, and was a pioneering artist known for his creation of the Rock Garden of Chandigarh. His early life was marked by displacement during the partition of India in 1947. In the wake of the conflict, Chand settled in Chandigarh which was being transformed by French architect Le Corbusier. In the process of development, numerous towns were demolished to make way for the new infrastructure.
Working as a government roads inspector in, Chand began transforming a small piece of land into an extensive sculpture garden in the 1950s. Utilizing the rubble and detritus from the demolition he created intricate sculptures depicting animals, humans, and fantastical creatures, blending elements of folk art, surrealism, and environmentalism.
Initially unknown to many, the Rock Garden was discovered by authorities in the 1970s, leading to official support for its expansion and maintenance. Over the years the garden grew into a sprawling complex featuring thousands of sculptures, waterfalls and winding pathways.
Chand’s artistic philosophy was deeply rooted in his reverence for nature and his belief in the transformative potential of discarded materials.
- Several of his works are exhibited in our current show ‘South Asian Modern Art 2024’.
- You can also see his work in the V&A’s current exhibition ‘Tropical Modernism’ (image 2)
Ivan Peries, Albizzias (1966)
This heavily textured oil by Ivan Peries was painted for his 1966 exhibition at the Commonwealth Institute Gallery in London.
In the Artist’s hand-written inventory of works for the show, this painting was priced at 50 guineas, with only 4 other paintings more expensive (from a list of fifty-two); Homage to El Greco (1940), The Bathers (1958-59), Veronica (1960) and The Family (1965).
Depicting albizia trees in a landscape with a typical Sri Lankan red-roofed house in the background, this painting belonged to the artist’s wife for many years, before entering an important private collection. It has not been seen publicly since 1966.
As part of our exhibition ‘South Asian Modern Art 2024’ we are delighted to exhibit early Bengal School paintings from the Norman Blount collection, including the lost masterpiece ‘A Moonlight Music Party’ by Abanindranath Tagore.
Norman Blount (1875-1930) was a jute broker in Calcutta and the joint secretary of the Indian Society of Oriental Art. There were several other Europeans fundamental to the establishment of the Society, but Blount was one of the most active members during its early years, and along with the Tagore brothers a handful of others, he formed the purchase committee of the Government Art Gallery. Blount was close friends with Abanindranath and purchased several of his paintings around this time.
For more information on the collection please see our exhibition catalogue (link in bio).
*The last image is a portrait of Blount by Mukul Dey
We are delighted to be supporting the Hepworth Wakefield’s current exhibition ‘Ronald Moody, Sculpting Life’. Great exhibition, accompanied by a fantastic book written by Ego Ahaiwe Sowinski.
@hepworthwakefield#ronaldmoody
Watch Part 1/2 of our Art Talk ‘Sri Lankan Modern Art | Beyond the Shores’ by Dr. Shamil Wanigaratne, Charlie Moore and Azara Jaleel that took place on Thursday, 30th May, 6pm at Grosvenor Gallery, St. James’s London.
Await an ARTRA edition on the Modernist Women who showcased alongside the ‘43 Group at their exhibitions from the very first at Darley Road, Colombo in November 1943.
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#art#artist#artra#arttalks#srilankanmodernart#srilankanmodernism#43group#lionelwendt#grosvenorgallery#london
