For the first time I have seen painting exhibition on village theme. I am very much touched by the selection of simple subjects and the artists ability to bring out the expressions in such a way that even a common man can understand. It is a marvelous expression of artist's thought process on a common theme. I would like to congratulate the artist and wish him all the best in all his future endeavors.
Padmashree Dr. LALJI SINGH
Director, CCMB, Hyderabad AP
Ratnakar's paintings and drawings are free from western art influences and deliberately ignored so called Indian urban sensibilities. But they are very much contemporary. They are the representatives of rural India .
Ratnakar has deep understanding of socio-economic, socio-cultural and socio-political conflicts of north Indian states and their knowledge reflects in his works and often strengthens it. His bold and powerful lines make his work distinctive and his bright colours make them inspiring.
Vinod Verma
Producer, BBC WORLD SERVICE
Padmashree Dr. LALJI SINGH
Director, CCMB, Hyderabad AP
Ratnakar's paintings and drawings are free from western art influences and deliberately ignored so called Indian urban sensibilities. But they are very much contemporary. They are the representatives of rural India .
Ratnakar has deep understanding of socio-economic, socio-cultural and socio-political conflicts of north Indian states and their knowledge reflects in his works and often strengthens it. His bold and powerful lines make his work distinctive and his bright colours make them inspiring.
Vinod Verma
Producer, BBC WORLD SERVICE
3 टिप्पणियां:
Pastoral Panorama
Publish In: THE TIMES OF INDIA
Description: THE TIMES OF INDIA March 15,2007, New Delhi Pastoral Panorama Glimpses of rural India come alive on the canvas of Dr. Lal Ratnakar Nilakshi Bhattacharyya He has greatly been influenced by the works of Munshi Premchand.And just like thegreat litterateur ,he looks at rural India while choosing the subjects of his paintings. “I draw inspiration from the peasant folk of the areas in and around Banaras , which ,I feel has not been portrayed as widely as rural Rajasthan.I try to capture the fighting spirit of these people who, despite facing so many hardship in life,” reaveals Dr. Lal Ratnakar a painter based in Rajnagar, Ghaziabad. A native of Jaunpur his first exposure to the world of art came in the form of wall painting done by the women folk in his village.“Actually I also started with that .I used to draw flowers animals and birdson the walls of our house with charcoals .” reminces the artist, who was clear right from childhood that he would become an artist when he grew up.“I got full support from my family. Eventually I did masters in drawing and painting from Kanpur University,”he says. But it was during his reseach for his doctorate under Prof.Anand Krishan in Banaras University that he got a direction to give vent to his creativity . “The whole atmosphere in his house was very art-oriented. It was here that ifirst gotthe chance to understand art in its true sense. And this is something for which I will always indebted to Prof. Krishan . It is very important for an artist to understand his true calling. I feel this more nowadays when I see many aspiring artist work without actually knowing the meaning of art,” reaveals Ratnakar, who has participated in many exhibitions in the country. At present Ratnakar is associated with Kaladham, a centre of art that came up at Kavi Nagar Ghaziabad. “This is one of the best things to have happened in this part of NCR. Kaladham has an art gallery and an open-air theatre in a big compound.this is the perfect space for art connoisseurs as they get opportunities to see the work of various artist as many exhibitions and workshops are organized here quite frequently. Next in the offing is a 10-day workshop from april 4. Fifteen artist from all over the country will come together to share their work.”says Ratnakar who is the convenor of tha programme. Presently he is attached with MMH College, CCS University, Meerut, as a faculty member of fine arts...
Date: 2007-03-15
Women Power
Publish In: THE HINDUSTAN TIMES
Description: A firm believer on in women power
Hindustan
New Delhi
Friday, January 23,2004
Aparna Singh Gupta As a 16-years old, his favorite pastime was to paint mud – houses of his neighbours with multi-colored motifs. Born and brought-up in Jaunpur district near Banaras, he made different shapes by filling mud in utensils in his kitchen.Being a painter was considered a taboo for Dr. Lal Ratnakar, born in the family of homeopathic doctors. Proficient in rural motifs, Ratnakar is a painter whose art forms take inspiration from folklores. While colours and nature attracted him, it was mandatory for him to take up science.Lal got his first break when a family friend was contesting local elections. “His symbol was a horse I tore my school copies to create the symbol. While my parents fumed at what I had done , my work of art was used as his symbol finally and that was a turning point my life” he says.While Lal had to clear his class 12 exam in the science stream, he started working as a political cartoonist at 16. As he was struggling through his studies , Lal finally decided to leave everything and get admission in Banaras Hindu University, where he did his Ph.D in western U.P. Life changed from then on, visiting interior U.P. Studying the meaning of each symbol created by folk artist was a task in itself .“I visited places like Azamgarh, Jaunpur and Mirzapur . It was a very new experience to learn about the wood and stone carvings . It was a true form of art and opened totally new avenues for me,” he says. Lal is a figurative artist and has over 1000 paintings to his credit . The dominating power of his work remains women in these small villages. “Expressive power of women is much greater then that of men. And village women are comparable to men in the true sense ,”he says .From a small village boy who experimented with ‘geru’ haldi and rice powder to an important member of the LalitKala , Lal surely has created works with a difference which is amply revealed in his works...
Date: 2004-01-23
Earth colour his Palate
Publish In: THE PIONEER
Description: Earth colour his Palate THE PIONEER, New Delhi Friday June 22,2001 Earth colours his palette Lal Ratnakar talks to Rajeev R Roy about his vibrant talking canvas thatvividly captures stories on rural ethos with a fine understanding of the syntax With artists abounding in numbers, standing out from the crowd is a major challenge.Some get the right hit, managing virtue of their talent and sheer originality. Dr. Lal Ratnakar undouvtedly belongs to this category. His paintings are a poignant reflection of the multy-ferious—and very often neglected—facets of rural life. Ratnakar’s canvases depect day-to-day concerns of rural men and women. These are the figures who hold a place of prominence in his artistic world. Ratnakar vividly portrays their everyday afflictions in wonderful colour combinations. It’s all here-the grass widows who men are a thousand miles away in distant lands. The eagerly awaited letters and discussion over their contents are repeated between family members and friends. The village woman suffers, lonely in the privacy of her embroidered ghunghat. The artist also offers a glimpse of the rural men’s life, with depiction of them relaxing under a peepal tree after a hard day’s work in the fields. Palaver in the shade appears their only source of release. The artist brushes all these realities into place with earthy,dark,rich colours and bold, yet flexible lines. His panels come alive with women, men, somnolent cattle, pots and a countryside landscape. It all seens like a trancecreation from one of Munshi Premchand’s short stories. Some of Dr. Ratnakar’s works resemble murals, with their images of peasants in revolt against social injustice or village women gathering in large numbers to brood over important problems. About his preference for rural episodes, Dr. Ratnakar says,”I’m rooted in rural India It’s the only real India I know. The rest is superficial and transient. And I say this despite my veing an urban dweller whose life mostly revolves around urban people and city culture.”One of the reasons for tackling earthy subjects stems from Ratnakar’s love and regard for the people whom he views as down-to-earth.”They do not hide their feelings and their problems are real as against the psychological ones urbanites tend to develop.” In fact, his subjects are people in distress who seldom fit into the scheme of modern artists. Dr. Ratnakar’s love for paintings has scarcely wavered, despite various ups and downs in his artistic life.”Artists were meant to be suffering. One suffers the most when he paints people no one is concerned about,” argues the artist. Whatever success he has achieved to date, he attributes to artists like Maqbool Ansari of Kanpur University and Prof. Anand Krishna of Banaras University ”They are still my source of inspiration and encouragement,” he admits. Ratnakar was born in August 1957 at Jaunpur, eastern Uttar Pradesh. As a schoolboy, he would often observe the variety of figures and lines drawn on mud walls by village men and women. But it never crossed his mind he might be an artist one day. His father wanted him to be a doctor. Though he’s got the”Dr” appendage to his name now after research studies, painting is where his heart is.”In the beginning, I found myself at a loss seeing village womenfolk waste precious time in useless pursuits like drawing lines on the walls that resembled Hindu gods and godessers, animals and birds“ But I gradually came to understand and appreciate the artistic nature of these activities. I also felt the urge to highlight their significance through my own paintings,” recalls Dr.Ratnakar. He adds, “Their poverty is reflected in brilliant works of art drawn in a haphazard manner.” One art critic says of him, Dr.Ratnakar is by and large a painter of folklife. And since he belongs to a rural background himself, he has been able to capture moments of rural life we are hardly able to recognize.”…………………………..
Date: 2001-06-22
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