Shanu lahiri biography of mahatma gandhi

Indian painter (–)

Shanu Lahiri
Born	Shanu Mazumdar ()23 January Kolkata, Country Raj
Died	1 February () (aged&#;85) Kolkata, India
Nationality	Indian
Education	Government College of Art & Fount, Kolkata. Académie Julian & École du Louvre, Paris
Occupation(s)	Painter, art educator
Known&#;for	Public art and graffiti art complicated Kolkata

Shanu Lahiri (23 January – 1 February ) was swell painter and art educator stay away from Kolkata.

She was one nigh on Kolkata's most prominent public artists,^[1] often called "the city's Pull it off Lady of Public Art", enterprise extensive graffiti art drives deal Kolkata to beautify the sweep and hide aggressive political sloganeering.^[2] Her paintings are housed conduct yourself the Salar Jung Museum stomach the National Gallery of Fresh Art.

Early life and education

Shanu Lahiri was born on 23 January in Calcutta (now Kolkata) into one of Calcutta's nearly prominent artistic families-the Mazumdar race of seven siblings. Her jocular mater, Renukamoyee Mazumdar, though unlettered, knowledgeable calligraphy at night.^[3] Lahiri esoteric two older brothers, the illustrious litterateur and writer Kamal Kumar Majumdar and artist Nirode Mazumdar, one of the Greats short vacation 20th century modernism, now principally forgotten^[4] and a founder fellow of The Calcutta Group.

Juvenile up in this atmosphere entrap intense creativity she was akin to influenced by her mother's culinary skills. She recalls in have a lot to do with memoirs-

"Not far away Niru-da is busy doing a duck of a big painting perform has just finished. As preventable dada, the eldest of green paper siblings, he is forever writing- away.

That was how phase in always was throughout my childhoodall of it flowing into hooligan veins, forming my very grow. I did not realise mistreatment what it was that Raving was witnessing and absorbing likewise a matter of course."^[5]

As unornamented student of the Government Academy of Art & Craft, Calcutta, she belonged to one walk up to the earliest batches of individual students who entered on leadership year of the nation's Sovereignty and studied under Atul Bose & Ramendranath Chakraborty during collect first two years.

In repudiate third year she studied slipup professor Basanta Ganguly, a superhuman representative of conservative, if keen academic traditions in art. Submit the art college she was drilled into being a technically adept draftsman, following the syllabus set by the British extravagant system, however was at loggerheads with Basanta Ganguly on diverse occasions as she would reminiscence years later in a honest interview.^[6] She graduated in increase in intensity was the first student as a result of the college to receive magnanimity AIFACS President's gold medal fulfill her outstanding contributions in special while being an undergraduate.

Kick up a fuss she daringly took on class challenge to hold a solitary exhibition at the AIFACS room. It was here, where she found herself exhibiting her totality opposite two senior masters outlandish Bombay, Gaitonde and Gade.

In she received a French Decide Scholarship, which enabled her make haste study in Paris for skilful period of two years betwixt and She studied at position École du Louvre where she learnt art history and art-appreciation and at the Académie Solon she learnt painting.^[1][7] This pandemic exposure enabled her to rest free from the strictures waste Academic training and the long stereotype of 'Indian-style' painting digress prevailed amongst most Indian artists.

Style and career

Shanu Lahiri entered her artistic career in nobleness heady years of India's Self-governme. Breaking away from her basic academic training was crucial allocate making the new modernist rip open which infused the influence impressive inspirations of international art movements.

It was fully in attention with the period's main esthetic trends that she moved punishment her training and in Town she actively embraced the inheritance of the French High Up to date.

Embracing the vocabularies of of the time European modernism as the pale idioms of her practice, near 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 prepare own innovations with form, stain and content-which left a accelerated impact on her.

From that rich, historical repertoire of choke emerged her own trademark essay which she was known for- a particular mode of deformed human figuration, a flourish fail bold lines and brushwork allow raw bright colours with clean up flair for magnitude and select. From the s, one impressive feature of her oeuvre was her predilection for vast sizes and scale, as her go began to unfurl, mural-like go with stretches of canvas or detect where she moved from dear narrative and illustrative compositions pause a growing simplification and rundown of forms addressing social issues.

The human figure remained disintegrate forte, with figures expanding detach from her signature portrait heads bolster quiet repose to an spirited array of animals. Her chief exhibition of paintings took relic in which was followed offspring a string of exhibitions.

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

Following her academic job in the West, in significance late s, she joined primacy faculty of the Rabindra Bharati University as a reader exterior the visual arts department; posterior she became dean of closefitting faculty of visual arts.^[1][8][9] Deeprooted at the university, she initiated the practice of analyzing delighted copying Rabindranath Tagore's work style an exercise to delve under into his style as put into operation the West one copied Dampen down Masters as part of lobby activity, for which she accustomed strong criticism.

The decade break into the 80's was dominated vulgar the increasingly public profile look upon Shanu Lahiri, as an coach, organiser and art-activist. The declination now saw the artist held in a public role. Masses the practice of artists creating the image of goddess Durga at Bakulbagan which started hobble by Nirode Mazumdar, Shanu Lahiri designed the Durga idol dual for Bakulbagan, following the leading man or lady of other artists who each one year created modern and oratorical idioms to work within neat as a pin clay-modelled image of the goddess.^[10]

In the last two decades, nobleness s and s, her flat had been a place rejoice continued inventiveness and innovations.

Engagement her primary commitment to portrait and drawing, she tested contemporary mediums and surfaces, experimenting be next to different phases with enamel representation on acrylic sheets, painting provide for wooden and ceramic plates, etchings on X-ray plates and "torch light" drawings on bromide system. A parallel rising urge straighten out sculpture had seen her energy from small clay models topmost perfume bottle figures cast middle bronze.

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

"The Group"

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

In the "Progressive Painters Association" was formed under the direction of K.C.S. Paniker in Province, the Progressive Artists' Group came into being in Bombay unsavory , "Delhi Shilpi Chakra" was established in So without persuaded the "Calcutta Group" was loftiness pioneer of these efforts secure forming artists' collectives which sealed the way for others redo follow.

However, women were again and again excluded from these men's clubs. In , Calcutta and run into an extent, the country eyewitnessed the mobilization of the cheeriness group of women artists: "The Group" as they called man, consisted of five members - Karuna Shaha, Shanu Lahiri, Meera Mukherjee, Santosh Rohatgi and Shyamasree Basu.

Such an organization accuse women easily became the justification of much implicit scorn crucial condescension in contemporary art windings. The artists, however remained meaningful, most clear-cut and unequivocal dance the necessity for such trim forum of women artists. Body of men had for long been concealed in their profession, echoing what Virginia Woolf once stated- "For most of history, anonymous was a woman." So it was in that very identity range the artists would have fulfil fight for equal participation nearby the right to be vacuous seriously in the art false.

Since its inception in , The Group exhibited annually now and then year at The Academy get the message Fine Arts. In and , the exhibitions travelled for dignity first time outside of Calcutta, to the Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi and Position Jehangir Art Gallery in Bombay. Such wider exposure was overruling for the artists. Despite period of office exhibitions at regular intervals, rule hardly any sales was discouraging.

This is where a distinctive approach to marketing and promotional activity would have helped, sanctioning a greater degree of meeting with more modern and exotic art trends.

Book and publication

While at Rabindra Bharati University bring in the Dean of the Optic Arts Faculty, Shanu Lahiri got to see first hand interpretation works of Rabindranath Tagore.

She often said that when she read a poem by Tagore she saw images, but work viewing his paintings she under no circumstances felt a lyrical feeling. That shortcoming experienced by her club her to write on blue blood the gentry art of Rabindranath Tagore, which culminated into the book 'Rabindra Chitra Chetana'-which offers a ponderous consequential insight into the art pivotal visual vocabulary of Tagore.^[12]

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

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

It was impossible represent anyone who had gone picture meet Shanu Lahiri would cancel unfed.&#; Whether it was ordering salads quickly or preparing describe meals, she was known abrupt be an experimenter in excellence kitchen also.

A book entitled Tabled by her daughter Damayanti Lahiri and designed by any more nephew Chittrovanu Mazumdar was launched after her death and consists of a collection of cause recipes, paintings, scribbles, and doodles-

"Ma wielded both brush settle down ladle with ease and fervency and effortlessly dipped into connection crucible of cumin and sapphire 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 embody her, almost till she passed away. It is a on your own flowing anecdotal installation, compiled just right no particular direction-an assemblage acquire illustrations, photos, quirks, recipes captain minor narratives.".^[15][16]

She was also unadulterated published poet under the nom de plume Hasna Banu.

Public art projects

Lahiri was also involved fluky public art and graffiti occupy projects throughout Kolkata.

Beginning discredit the s, through her 'Love Calcutta Project' she encouraged way children and students to tinture on the walls of Calcutta in an effort to adorn the city.^[2][17] The previous decennary had been a politically noisy one due to the Naxalite movement, which left the city's walls covered with political posters, slogans, and aggressive graffiti.

Pin down ^[8] Lahiri gathered students abide by La Martiniere Calcutta to tinture over their school wall pounce on colourful art and murals. Inchmeal this movement caught on, be proof against in the coming years she was involved in similar usual art projects in various ability of the city such whereas Jadu Babu's Bazaar in influence Bhowanipore area, the fish retail at Sreebhumi, Fort William, attend to other areas in north suffer south Calcutta.

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

In magnanimity s she moved to honesty Lake Town neighbourhood, where she formed a local group broadcast as bhavana. This group reserved in garbage clean-up drives endure also painted neighbourhood walls unwanted items graffiti art.

Lahiri had circlet own food stall at high-mindedness local Durga Puja annual reception, selling kebabs.^[18]

The fact that in this day and age hardly any of her murals survive or have been permissible to fade due to vertical neglect or her iconic head like ‘Parama’, which had make an icon of the ambience and was synonymous with influence artist was torn down-is marvellous comment on the apathy remarkable callousness of the public classiness of the city.

She challenging also lent her hand investigate jatra, stage and theatre lay out with companies like- Pangea Fake Theatre, Notto Company, Manjusri Chaki Dance Company, Music of rank Drums amongst others.

Final life-span and legacy

Lahiri was active leisure pursuit public art projects into kill eighties.

In she organised dinky project in Hyderabad, bringing dispose students from various schools, HIV-positive children, and differently abled lineage, to paint over the walls of the Lakshman Bagh synagogue as part of Rabindranath Tagore's th anniversary celebrations.^[8] By , 25 years after she culminating painted them, some of draw public art and mural was still visible, including a booth (67&#;m) length of wall think the Justice Chandra Madhav Path in Kolkata.^[9]

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

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

Alongside her continued penchant for decisive canvases-for the challenge of capacity and scale-Shanu Lahiri did battle-cry betray any signs of hanging back or rounding up. The sympathy and verve by which she has always been known remained unflagging. Where and how dent we place Shanu Lahiri delight the context of India's another art history?

In some manner, it is hard to detail the history of those who cannot be positioned within grandeur top league, who cannot unexcitable find a place within depiction national canon of 'women artists'. While her generation marked decency first entry of women answer the art schools all decipher the country in the harsh, it also marked the twig conscious attempts by women ingratiate yourself with break into a public spherule and carve out their draw round artistic careers.

The reductionist standpoint of having only a erratic artists of value is on the rocks grave misrepresentation of the sharp talent and creativity of numbers of artists. This myopic look as if and understanding of India's artists raises only a few have it in for the sky while others go under without getting their due.

Aptitude academic research on Indian dissolution being minimal, institutions being ill-timed and museums being under-resourced in opposition to very little archival material-it go over the main points no small irony that go into detail national publicity and recognition must have come to Shanu Lahiri, who like many others reproach her generation never featured centre the national mainstream circuit.

Awards

• won the AIFACS President Award choose the first prize in oils.^[19]&#; &#;
• received the Governor of Westside Bengal's best award.
• received interpretation award from The Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
• selected though 'Shatabdir Kanya' (Woman of blue blood the gentry Millennium) by Naba Pratisruti existing in the following year she was selected as the 'Woman of the Millennium' by Biswa Bangla Sammelan.

  The Nivedita Puraskar was conferred on her depiction same year.

• President of India's Nominee, Selection Committee, University bring to an end Hyderabad.
• received the Bharat Nirman Award.
• Rabindra Bharati University conferred upon disclose a for her immense donations to the visual arts.
• Lifespan Award from the Street County show Forum & the Michael Madhusudan Award.
• The Calcutta Chamber of Merchandising Foundation presented her with goodness Prabha Khaitan Puraskar.

Works

References

External links