Prabhakar Barve | A Voyage of Visual Epistemology

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

Leh: An experience of Lost Indigenous Culture

Leh a land of high passes happened to be another destination of my eternal journey. For me as a painter and a keen observer of culture, Leh was a curious specimen to be dissected. We hopped from one place to another scintillated by enormous hills, the chilly climate with little oxygen in it. We were overwhelmed! A week long vacation concluded with a bag full of laundry and splendid memories for a lifetime. Despite an ecstatic experience something sulked within.  The brooding was about the invisible indigenous life. One could barely witness the local culture. Was it that I failed to notice it or it was totally missing?

We saw men and women, infants and children but fewer old lads. The population comprised of the some Ladakhi's who hail the valleys since the earliest known habitation of the site. A large flock of tourists, Indians as well as foreign nationals form a part of the floating population. People from the neighboring villages participate in the local trade and tourism, which could barely be segregated. A distinct population of men coming here to reap the fruits of the bustling tourism was annoyingly noticed. This transient population comes mainly from the northern states and Maharashtra. The annoyance was not due to their interests in the lucrative trade but the impact they shed on the regional culture and traditions. Though the impact is an obvious one, my concern is whether the culture evolves to reformulate itself or it succumbs to the invasions of high urbanism. I grappled with the question of whether local community is left with any indigenous cultural markers, be it clothing, food habits, language and the local crafts and artistry. 

The cues were found in fragments. Apparently the Ladakhi populace finds employment in the military services and allied trades supporting the armed forces with domestic supplies. Rest of the youth engages in tourism. Some drive tourist vehicles and some service the hotelward. Agriculture is limited to summer season with few mountainous vegetables and fruits and wheat which is mostly cultivated on the slopes by step farming. Winter and summer are the only seasons witnessed. This phenomenon influences their framing and trade patterns. As a result most goods flow in from Srinagar and other regions which are facilitated by the military during the winter when most land is snow clad.

Given the hostile climate, some cultures continue to exhibit its inherent traits. Here in Leh, even local food was limited only to strange tasting momos and thukpa which was nothing but vegetable clear soup with a lot of vegetables still in it. We had learnt of the buttered tea popular in the monasteries. But we seldom came across a shop serving it. Not even near the monasteries. We barely came across something that can be termed Ladakhi cuisine. All they served in the restaurants was either Punjabi, Italian or Chinese dishes. To further amusement the local crafts were found to be imported than being locally crafted (sold at almost half the price in New Delhi's Dilli-Haat). Except for few leather objects, the so called yak wool shawls and the modern day craft of hand embroidered T-Shirts with fancy Typos and Images, regional artistry was hardly noticed. It doesn’t stop here. A lot of construction work is vigorously encouraged by the government and the locals, but the carpenters, masons, smiths all hail from Bihar, Bengal, Haryana and Maharashtra. The locals are hired only to make mud bricks. There is no middle class. Only rich and poor exist. 

The monasteries too, wore an attire of being tourist spots than the original sanctity. An intense artificial appearance adorned the few monasteries we happened to visit viz. Thiksey, Hemis and Shey. Contributing to this is the newly built Shanti Stupa, which is nothing but mockery of the ancient stupa architecture. The superimposed motifs depicting Lord Buddha's life the Jataka tales are hideously rendered and painted shabbily. However saying so doesn’t take away the grandeur and organic nature of the medieval architecture.  I might be little cynical about the issues discussed. However true might be my observations or not, these diverse situations appear to formulate culture afresh in the land of high passes; induced with little indigenous features and more of the adopted modern Indo-European material culture. Adventure is now to ride fancy bikes, ride bicycles in the rugged terrain, trekking, rafting in the gushing lathery, ice cold waters, that too at high altitudes, but for whom? Whose Culture? or a Mock Culture?

The article is a response after my recent visit to Leh in late September 2014.

J J Rangana...Beget Coloured Thou My JJ, But Thou Shall Not Crawl Neither Beget A War Zone.

 

LINE

Drawing from the Local, Local Drawing and Drawing the Local

An enthusiastic crowd makes a thoroughfare between the gates of Mumbai's lifeline creating a chaotic rhythm, humming with the swaying relay of the EMU Locals.Day in day out the diverse flock continues to make an impression.

Appearances make their presence felt with a fleeting flock gusting into the burgeoning relay of swaying EMU locals. Each day numerous faces show up creating a gallery of heads with varied viewpoints either seated on the planks or lined up holding the handle bars.

The encounters are a juxtaposition of sweaty necks, oiled hair, smelly armpits, and what not... a complete package tour of sensory experiences totally cost free. To garnish are the banal expressions of disgust and hassle. A rush for a safe seat, a push for the fourth couch to rest your pair of pelvic bones, a passage through the jigsaw of seated knees to find a convenient leg space to stand and many more spatial arrangements enhance your sense to compose your height and weight in the given 3D axis.

With a timely leap one manages a probable seat where he tries to either complete his slumber or screen the daily. Some smartly and stubbornly manage to eat few novels too. A mixed crowd of office goers and working class flocked together marching towards the destined bread winning.

A heterogeneous mix presents the variety in ethnic features and characters. Each characterized by the tinge of occupational tan, dressed economically, and scented with the urge to convincingly suffice the daily chores. The present drawings attempt to draw the local, from the local, of the local being locally local. Hope you enjoy the viewership!