A knit between art and spirituality

On the palette

Bringing the legacy of India’s pioneering abstract artist, the late Bimal Das Gupta, to the spotlight it deserves, principal collectors of his artworks — Vikram Mayor, Director of Gallery Silver Scapes, and Uday Jain, Director of Dhoomimal Gallery — came together to present the first solo exhibition of his works in New Delhi recently.

‘Bimal Das Gupta: Tutelage-An Ode to a Legend’ was the artist’s first major solo exhibition in 30 years, showcasing the best from the pivotal periods of his career, between the 1930s and 1995. Nearly three decades after his tragic loss in a road accident in 1995, this landmark event celebrated Das Gupta’s huge contribution to Indian abstractionism. 

The collection displayed a remarkable latitude in Das Gupta’s works, spanning six decades of his artistic journey. He is revered as one of the forerunners of the watercolour traditions in Indian art during the second half of the 20th century. Das Gupta’s constant startling experiments with the traditional formats of the medium lent an unusual voice to myriad painting methods that transcended elements of academic realism taught in art schools.

What did they have in mind while curating this collection? “Pure passion. Being an art lover and collector, the foremost consideration was an artist worthy of changing the course of Indian art history. Bimal Das Gupta was India’s pioneering abstract artist and a true master of mediums. His compositions can be termed as the foundation on which Indian art is built,” says Mayor.

The duo’s labour of love brought in over 100 precious artworks spanning canvases, paper works and landscapes, all mostly abstracts. 

“It has taken virtually a lifetime to put this collection together as Bimal Das was not a very prolific artist, having painted less than 1,500 works in his lifetime,” says Jain. “Each artwork is unique, like a poem with multiple nuances. Our personal favourite is ‘The Vision’, a 5 ft x 4 ft canvas made using two mediums. The base is done in acrylic and the entire composition has been realised in oil pastels. It is probably the only work I have seen of this magnitude made by any artist with oil pastel and that too on canvas. Powerful, tall and unmatched,” says Jain.

Bimal Das was also known for the knit between art and spirituality — examining neo-tantric aspects — in his creations. A devout Hindu, his rendition of spirituality came alive in his artworks. The exhibition was accompanied by a publication featuring essays on Bimal Das Gupta and his art by some of the top art critics of the country.

Says Mayor, “Bimal Da was not just an artist, but a true creator. He ventured into abstraction as early as the 1940s, a time when most artists were rooted in traditional, figurative forms. His forward-thinking approach, whether through his exploration of tantra or his innovative use of mediums like watercolours and acrylics, was far ahead of its time — much like other visionaries such as Mozart and Van Gogh, who were initially overlooked. Bimal Da’s works have inspired generations of artists, each piece imbued with layers of depth, as if every stroke were a poem to be unravelled. This exhibition was more than just a tribute; it was a celebration of a master whose abstract expressions are finally receiving the recognition they deserve.”

The exhibition also featured curated walk-throughs and conversations around the art and techniques of the pioneer.