Academy of Fine Arts: A solo painting exhibition of Amala Shankar

A solo painting exhibition of Amala Shankar

Art curator Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya takes great pleasure in organizing ‘Nabajiban’ – a solo painting exhibition of Amala Shankar at The Academy of Fine Arts from 4^th to 10^th April 2013 at the ‘Central Gallery’. This event is being sponsored by The State Bank of India & supported by the Publishing House,Pratikshan.

About Smt. Amala Shankar

There cannot be enough words to describe a legend, a woman of substance like Smt. Amala Shankar. She is an international danseuse having represented our nation all over the world in her 85 year long career. Having being honoured with awards like the Padma Bhushan, the Soviet Land Nehru Award, the Banga Bhibhushan, Smt. Amala Shankar has contributed to the Indian cultural society for decades now. She joined Sri Uday Shankar’s dance troupe at the young age of 11 while visiting the International Colonial Exhibition in Paris with her father, where she met the Shankar family for the first time.

Apart from her thousands of dance performances with her late husband Sri Uday Shankar all over the world, she also played the leading role in ‘Kalpana’ – a film directed by Sri Uday Shankar himself. This film was screened at The International Film Festival of India in 2008 & the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

Even at the age of 95, she is full of enthusiasm to start a ‘new life – nabajiban’ – to showcase the art she has done over the last 40 years.

About ‘Nabajiban’:

Nabajiban is the solo exhibition of Smt. Amala Shankar’s paintings being held at The Academy of Fine Arts with its preview on 4^th April 2013 at 5 p.m. The Chief Guest for this event is the Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal, Sri M.K. Narayanan and the Guest of Honour is the renowned painter Sri Ramananda Bandopadhyay.

With a showcase of over 50 paintings at the ‘Central Gallery’, one can see the great artist that she is. Her style of art has been appreciated by several prominent figures such as Sri Sri Satya Saibaba amongst others. She is known for using her fingers and nails only to produce great landscapes, temples, caves that remind one of Ancient India. She has also given great emphasis on religion – which is one of her key inspirational themes. Her belief that ‘all religion is one’ has often come out in her paintings where one can see Lord Buddha, Lord Ganesha, and Jesus Christ, all in one canvas.

When asked about her first initiative to paint, she said: -

“I have never thought of myself as a painter. I have always been fascinated by anything that is beautiful, whether that is architecture or nature – mountains, sea, clouds, etc. The celestial beauty of these enchanted me. When my late husband Sri Uday Shankar produced the shadow play of ‘Lord Buddha’, he needed to create colour effects in the background which was not possible by mere shadows. He asked professional photographers to prepare slides of antique architecture and scenery. But he was disappointed with the effect. At that time, in a playful mood, with my fingers, I drew on the glass slides and it worked for him.

Since then, I have been painting”

- Amala Shankar

She has sincerely stuck on to her word and has produced some of the most fascinating post-impressionist landscapes and portraits that are finally being shown to the world.

Apart from a wide variety of paintings displayed at the gallery, signed and unsigned prints of some of her paintings will also be available. Portfolios of 6 prints each, published by Pratikshan will also be available at the venue.

This exhibition will leave a prominent mark in the cultural society of Kolkata and it is believed that with the right support it can gain the national, as well as, international recognition it deserves.

Curator’s Note – Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya

About 3-4 years ago, I first came across some of dida’s paintings at Biren Kaku’s (Biren Das) house in Bangalore. After arriving in Kolkata, my next encounter with her paintings was at Dhiman Da’s (Dhiman Das) office. I was so overwhelmed with the work I saw that I approached her directly through Dhiman Das.

After visiting her home in Kolkata and over a period of a few days, I came across a collection, consisting of over a hundred paintings, of hers. I was fascinated with the work that my next aim was to curate a show displaying these splendid pieces of art. With full excitement, I started discussing ways to do this exhibition.

Her paintings have this strange essence that pulls you towards it. With some much depth in each piece of art – the most noticeable feature would be her constant attempt to bring out her belief – that all religion is one. From depictions of the life of Buddha through his several stages of enlightenment to depictions of Jesus Christ – it is all very symbolic. It also shows her faith in humanity, love, and peace. Intentionally or unintentionally, several of her art work has also brought out, what appears to a curator’s eye, the faces of the great philosopher Socrates’ or Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore or a Saptarshi. Besides such themes, her paintings have often shown other-wordly or Utopian landscapes – places one can only imagine through a life of travels.

Her artistic side began right from childhood, where she learnt to master giving ‘alpona’ from her father. Since then, her nail & hand work done on acrylic has only matured bringing out even more of the true artist she is.

My day-to-day personal interactions with her have taught me way more than I could have imagined gaining in life. It has taught me that no length of materialistic achievements match up to the lives you can touch. Her humbleness, in spite, of her successes, shows that that is the only way one can leave a legacy, even after leaving the World.