Ram Kumar's journey from figurative art to abstract

Having painted figurative works for almost a decade, modernist painter Ram Kumar's tryst with abstract art began when he found himself unable to capture the soul of a human being on canvas amidst the sound and the fury of 1960 Benaras.
But, the surroundings changed the way the painter looked at the world, making several inner changes within him, both visually and emotionally, and resulted in the creation of some of his most iconic artworks.
Kumar's over half-a-century-long artistic career, and his transition from a figurative artist to an abstract one, has been chronicled through a collection of his artworks that are on view at an ongoing exhibition titled, "Ram Kumar: Traversing the Landscapes of the Mind", at the Saffronart Gallery here.

"The exhibition is like a reference book of his works spanning over six decades," a spokesperson from Saffronart said.
The 92-year-old painter, who was a member of the Bombay Progressive Arts Movement, along with his contemporaries M F Husain, F N Souza and S H Raza, decided to try his hand at abstract art when in Benaras, he felt the need to capture the "acute suffering" of a human being without painting figures.
It is then, that he attempted portraying the agony through abstract forms using a contructivist approach -- taking inspiration from the buildings, the construction of the ghats and the city as a whole.

His artistic process, marked by quiet contemplation, becomes evident in the 73 works showcased here, that capture his journey from the solemn-faced men and women painted during his time in post-war France, to spiritual landscapes.

The "raw" Ladakh was yet another revealing experience for the artist. With its negligible vegetation and "black and white" topograhy, the place inspired him to paint nearly monochromic landscapes.
"The show captures his progression in different forms and places, including his monochromatic as well as all paper works," the Saffronart spokesperson said.
The exhibits also offer an insight into Kumar's style where he effortlessly renders a quintessential texture to his works by building it into the impasto.

The selling show is set to continue till December 31.