Epoch-defining works of B M Anand

The absence of a quintessential defining style, perhaps, made maverick artist and illustrator Brij Mohan Anand fade into such oblivion that he does not even have a dedicated Wikipedia page.
The late artist whose "unusual aesthetic formed a sustained response to the politics of his time, which have shaped modern Indian consciousness" is the subject of a new exhibition here, which seeks to restore, preserve and propagate his works and vision.
The 11-day long show was inaugurated recently in the presence of filmmaker Imtiaz Ali among others.
It features 80 (out of an archive of 1500) epoch-defining works (1928-1986) including 35 sketches, 14 scratchboards, 3 scratchboard sketches, 5 ink drawings, 6 Red Cross posters, 23 book covers and 5 oil-on-canvas paintings.

"Anand is deploying to a lot of styles but he is slave to none," said theatre activist Sudhanva Deshpande, who was part of the event, that also marked the launch of a book and an infographic, both titled, "Narratives for Indian Modernity: The Aesthetic of Brij Mohan Anand" detailing the life story and history of the Punjab-born artist.
The book has been co-authored by writer-biographer Aditi Anand and UK-based art historian Grant Pooke.

Born in Amritsar to a family that lost a pre-teen child (Anand's elder brother) in the 1919 Jalianwala massacre, Anand's art flourished under the shadow of Leftist views.

One of his scratchboards titled "Buddha Bleeds" (1962) showcases the "eagle of fascism" driving its claws into the eyes of the "Compassionate Buddha," as the dripping blood swirls up in a "conflagration" beneath.
Alka Pande, who has curated the exhibition termed Anand's
body of work, "a rare of combination of being lyrically beautiful and politically strong."
"He represented the subaltern and previously marginalized voice of Indian art with creations that are diverse and inter-disciplinary," she said.
The ideas expressed through Anand's works render him as a social commentator and a polemiscist. He drew and painted and scribbled on far ranging issues - "from neo-colonial conflicts, cultural conflicts of the Cold War and the Vietnam War to India's assumption of nuclear power under the reins of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi."

"Perhaps, being anonymous gave him the freedom to speak his heart out. He lived his life being a morally committed artist througout," Deshpande said.
However, that did not imply that he was a dissapointment to the "conventional" idea of an artist. His finesse in painting landscapes and portraits, designing posters and book covers, only vindicates why he should have been celebrated like his predecessors.
Organised by B M Anand Foundation, the show comes after 30 years of passing away of the revolutionary painter-illustrator and is set to continue till May 22.