Analysing Manjit Bawa’s Modernity in Art
By Arun Kumar Ghosh
Introduction
Captivating the souls of the audiences, Manjit Bawa, a noted artist of the Modern Art fraternity of India, marks his artworks with a wonderful amalgamation of the traditional and the contemporary in view of the inherited tradition and mythological histories of the Indian sub-continent. The purpose and content of this analysis is to explore the multifaceted aspects of Bawa’s artworks, especially texture, brush works, colour themes, and the reference depth from mythology and cultures. Through analysing these elements in the artworks, one is able to look at the growth of Indian Art and Manjit Bawa’s role in the current trajectory of the Arts.
Texture and Brushing Techniques
In front of the works, it is clear without any doubt that Manjit Bawa possesses the required expertise in the concept of texture. They are clear and quite natural in terms of their implementation, which is accompanied by the rather tangible sense of touch. Bawa employs a technique that entails the application of layers of paint that has a complex and raised texture from the canvas and or other surfaces on his artworks. Therefore, such textural richness contributes to the aesthetic value in the artwork as well as adds to the existence of the mere vision as the possibility of touch. Therefore, in Cows in a Field or Birkat’s Angels, the way Bawa uses paint is sculptural in the best way because the nature of the artistic skills required suits the production of such effects very well.
Besides impasto, Manjit Bawa also uses soft brush techniques in the background parts to have a softer tone but have close resemblance to impulsivity paint. It is here, considering a thin layer combined with a layer and an imprecise brush stroke, an approximately precise brush stroke, an excessively precise brush stroke, the viewer’s gaze travels; it emphasizes the primary persons with a rich notes adding to the painting. Such techniques show that he possesses a dichotomy of artisanship and modernity, therefore, he is not a painter inside a narrow framework but a painter with many strategies.
Colour Use
Standing in front of the works, one cannot doubt that Bawa has all the needed expertise in the idea of texture. These are stated fairly and are quite natural in terms of the contingent’s implementation, which is followed, in particular, by the relatively specific sense of touch. Bawa uses a method that involves appellation of layers of painting that has a complicated and rugged surface from the canvas and or other surfaces on his artworks. Thus, such textural bliss contributes to the aesthetic component of the artwork while adding to the existence of merely the vision as possibility of touch. Apart from using impasto, Manjit Bawa also uses soft brush techniques in the background parts to have a softer tone but have a close resemblance to impulsivity paint. It is here in the appearance of a thin layer coupled with a layer and an imprecise brush stroke, an approximately precise brush stroke, an excessively precise brush stroke is where the viewer’s gaze moves; there, the primary persons with the richness of the notes that are added to the painting. Such techniques prove that he has the duality of Artisanship and Modernity, thus, he is not a painter in a confined style but a painter who has several approaches.
Mythological Themes
The way of representation of the mythological fragments is quite characteristically observable in the art of Manjit Bawa along with the motif of modernist change. Bawa is not merely a teller of a story and he builds on the mythological theme and incorporates them with the modern-day concepts. He works in different storylines based on the Indian epics and establishes the characters like Krishna, Radha, Shiva, and others in rather different circumstances in which a historical and modern aspect is seen.
For instance, Bawa has created a painting ‘Yashoda and Krishna’ in which he has depicted a mother and child with love where he has put many feelings within the limit of religious factor. Therefore, the screen of layers creates a conflict, which, apart from Mythologic, has the human one, concerning love and other relations. Thus, even Bawa’s themes contain legends and myths, yet socio-political factor is also involved in his works and it can be considered that his works act as a reflective creation revealing the true nature of the people during the certain period in time in the context of such myths and legends. Furthermore, mythological motifs were transferred to the sphere of Bawa’s central focus, which are not just the references to the source; they are informative. He enlightens the young generations about stories that are the foundations for their cultural tales, at the same time as he integrates the latter with the topical aspects. Thus, the artist is able to maintain the continuity between the history and present which in its turn helps the audience to communicate with history as with the contemporary events.
Cultural Heritage in a Global Context
The manner of presentation of the mythological fragments remains rather characteristically recognizable in the works of Manjit Bawa as well as the concept of modernist transition. It can be seen that Bawa is not just a narrator and he progresses onto the mythological theme and synchronizes them with the contemporary elements. He creates the characters in the multiple plot iterations of the Indian epics and places them in somewhat different roles in which a history and a contemporary aspect can be observed. For example, Bawa has completed a painting ‘Yashoda and Krishna’; in this painting; he has painted a mother and child with lots of affection where he has placed many emotions within the bound of the religious aspect. Thus, the screen of layers generates an opposition which, along with the mythologic, includes the human one pertaining to love and other relations. Hence, even in Bawa’s themes of sorts there exist legends and myths, but at the same time, there emerges a socio-political factor regarding his works and it can be also stated that they serve as a mirror reflecting the essence of the society at a certain stage of his work in terms of such myths and legends. Moreover, the mythological motifs appeared to be shifted to the sphere of the Manjit Bawa’s primary interest, whereas these are not only the allusions to the source; they are informative. He educates the young generations on those which are the epistemologies to their cultural fables while at the same time mixing that with the contemporary realities. Therefore, the artist can preserve the historical sequence between the past and the present time that, in its turn, allows the viewers to interact with history as with the present reality.
Conclusion
The artworks developed by Manjit Bawa are self-explanatory because his artistic ability shows that Bawa is master of words and a master of brush, he is the artist who can speak a story and painter who is capable to speak with masters to the readers about what his mind can do. Control of the surface and colours and of the mythical motifs that were placed in advance allowed him to make aesthetic and cognitive value of the things simultaneously. This stations mean that Bawa is not only reproducing India but responding, interrogating and transforming it, which provides a material proof of the contemporary Indian art in a multilateral world. Here, while reviewing the works of Manjit Bawa, it is possible to state that the idea of identifying his works as something more than just the objects of decorative nature can be effectively argued, the main idea is to become a part of the cultural references and immerse into the ocean of cultural abundance and memory. Only in Manjit Bawa’s Art is such transition from historicity of the Lankan setting to the modernity of it or from the Lankan relevance to the global one suitable for the whole of mankind, seen. But the show leads the audience to look at it from the aesthetic realm of tradition and at the same time familiarizes the viewer with the idea of the progressive change in the present generation.
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