A voyage of visual epistemology
begins with an urge for dynamics arising from the inquiry of the visible and
the absolute void. Prabhakar Barve with the patrilineal
inheritance of visual art was born in Nagoan, Maharashtra on March 16, 1936.
Receiving encouragement from his sculptor father and support from his
granduncle Vinayak Pandurang Karmarkar young Prabhakar went through the
schooling at the Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai between the years 1954 to
1959. Besides the primary education till grade four, his life has been a part
and participle of Mumbai. An interesting transition in Indian art can be
noticed between the generations where Karmarkar a sculptor bred under the
Edwardian academic tradition expresses his apathy and objection against the
newly borrowed modern art movement and suggest this curious lad to focus onto
the study of realism. With an urge to explore multitudes of the aesthetics of
image-making and under the influence of then contemporary artists like
Gaitonde, Mohan Samant and Ambadas, Barve furthered his study for the crux of
visual language, disregarding the clerical act of imitative imagery. His
inquiry was coupled with the exposure to theories of Paul Klee, Ben Nicholson
which is evident in his own writings.
Occupation and mode of sustenance
has been a distinct feature of his life and art practice. By joining the
Weavers Design Service Center in early 60s for sustenance the artist maintained
a particular schedule of working. There he was involved with leading artists
Gautam Waghela, K.G. Subramanyan and Ambadas. Throughout his service he
constantly dealt with creation of new designs for the weavers which enhanced
his understanding of forms evident in his diaries. Apparently the daily
practice of diary writing occupied him as his concluding task before leaving
the office for his studio at Gamdevi-a cosy studio space of 5’*8’. During
1962-1965, Barve was posted at Varanasi where his encounter with the Tantric
forms capture his interest following into a Tantricist phase of his works,
which concludes with a realization of being an artist and not a Tantric to
endeavour it.
Writing being significantly his
second nature, he practiced it meticulously and lovingly which is needlessly
explained by its prevalence in the numerous letters, written to his daughter
Sonali and to others from the arts community. Full of circumlocutions his
verbal analysis of visual intricacies has formed a basis for critical thinking
for aesthetic decisions. This phenomenon is evidently influential in the works
of many young artists who conversed with him or his book Kora Canvas in
Marathi. It is noted that rather than his personal life, an expression of
curiosity, discussion and theorization of his thoughts regarding art, forms his
entire habit of verbalizing on paper. Thus, occupation for him was either his
art practice or writing.
Barve’s familial life presents,
his inhibitions for machines and mechanisation, yet he appreciated the
possibilities of image approximations through technological advancements via
computers. The computer art show curated in 1991 where several leading artists
attempted to produce their creations through the digital medium. With a mixed
view of the experience collectively, Barve in particular was curious about the
innovation and the modern mode of image manifestations. However as a resultant,
although he designed a safety-pin on the machine, eventually chose to manually
transfer the form which was then titled as eighty five safety pins.
With affinity for contemporary
practices as opposed to academic realism in his formative years, the artist
worked with zeal of a scientist. His inquiry for an apt medium for image making
was coupled by constant and pertinent interrogation linked to his derivative
thought process. Enamel paints were used while his stay in Varanasi to overcome
the obligation and non availability of oil colours despite knowing the
shortcomings of the medium. With a gradual progression in the technique, the
artist explains his need for certain sheen where he successfully blends the
commercial paint to achieve the result of oils and beyond through a layered
method. Letter to Camlin Art Foundation is one interesting instance that
displays his keen concerns for the specific quality of canvas, free of knots and
properly primed. Expressing his botheration regarding a canvas, Barve
acknowledges the contribution of Camlin while urging them to be compatible with
international standards.
Numerous accolades signify his distinct
position in the field of visual arts. Amongst them the award by Academy of Fine
Arts in Kolkata in 1963, the Bombay Art Society in 1964 and 1968, the
Maharashtra State award in 1971 and the prestigious Lalit Kala Akademi awarded
in 1976.
To summarize the participation of
his works in various exhibitions his international participations include IX
Biennale, Valpariso in Chile in 1989; II, III, IV and V Triennales at New Delhi
in 1971, 1975, 1978 and 1982 and the Fifth International Young Artists at Tokyo
in1969. About 12 solo shows are attributed to his career from 1961. During the
years 1961 to 1965 and in 1969 he was conferred upon with the Yomiuri Shimbun
Award in Tokyo, Japan at the Fifth International Young Artists' exhibition. In
1983 the Modern Indian painting exhibition at Hirshorn Museum, Washington, D.C.
and the IX Biennale International, Chile in 1989, signify his contribution to
Art. In late 1988 he was selected under the International Visitor's program,
Grant, Sponsored by the USIA. This was followed by a residency programme at Yaddo,
the artists' village established in America. The artists’ visit to America
brings with him several curiosities and evolutions in his works.
His creation ‘Blue Cloud’ brought
him National prize at exhibition of Lalit Kala Academy in Delhi.
A person who loved solitary
existence, engaged with painting sometimes on a single canvas for hours, days
and even months. He enthusiastically engaged in long discussions with artist
friends like Prabhakar Kolte, Dilip Ranade, and Madhao Imartey. Here also, he
discussed nothing but art!
Being witness to the illness of
his parents Barve developed a severe inhibition to medications or
hospitalisation which cost him through prolonged sufferings pushing him towards
the inevitable. With a pail physique he continued to make few drawings and with
feeble voice muttered art to friends visiting him at the hospital. December 6,
1995 marked his demise pronouncing a vacuum in the art-world and imposed
conclusion to his visual epistemology.
The essay has been published in the book 'The Blank Canvas' a
translation of the book in Marathi "Kora Canvas by Prabhakar Barve which
is based on the entries of his dialy diaries " http://bodhana.org/archives/prabhakar-barwe.aspx
