Gautam Mukherjii is a self-taught artist painting in acrylic on canvas, apparently delighting
In what he has painted for his show…..Choosing for his subject from the indolently indulgent ‘zamindari’ fiefdom of Bengal, he shows a remarkable ability to capture atmosphere, detail, mood and body language. In its sum total,these abilities make his works more than anything else, entertaining and in some cases engaging. I have heard of far less focus and detailing in the portrayal of clothes in certain series of art works described as “fashion statements”; this really makes Mukherjii’s works quite a disply of Lifestyle and ‘designer’ wear; The detailing on the saree, its pleats, its finely woven border, the gold hue of the bangles, complete with the traditional ‘shankha’, the white bangle and ‘paula’ the red bangle, and the touch of vermilion between the parting of the hair. No less interesting are the details of the bedstead, the men’s striped kurtas, the tapestry, the hand fans and the bunch of keys tied to the ‘anchal’ or the loose, flowing end of the sari………
Gautam would be better off without such pointless gimmicks, for his work shows considerable promise otherwise. The roundness of form and bright cheerful colours, while keeping his men and women real, also manage to distance them in time by means of well- observed dress codes and mannerisms,stylizing them as ghosts of another era, representatives of Bengal’s past.
ARUNA BHOWMICK.
‘THE STATESMAN’ (NewDelhi) 8.1
08.10.2004
In what he has painted for his show…..Choosing for his subject from the indolently indulgent ‘zamindari’ fiefdom of Bengal, he shows a remarkable ability to capture atmosphere, detail, mood and body language. In its sum total,these abilities make his works more than anything else, entertaining and in some cases engaging. I have heard of far less focus and detailing in the portrayal of clothes in certain series of art works described as “fashion statements”; this really makes Mukherjii’s works quite a disply of Lifestyle and ‘designer’ wear; The detailing on the saree, its pleats, its finely woven border, the gold hue of the bangles, complete with the traditional ‘shankha’, the white bangle and ‘paula’ the red bangle, and the touch of vermilion between the parting of the hair. No less interesting are the details of the bedstead, the men’s striped kurtas, the tapestry, the hand fans and the bunch of keys tied to the ‘anchal’ or the loose, flowing end of the sari………
Gautam would be better off without such pointless gimmicks, for his work shows considerable promise otherwise. The roundness of form and bright cheerful colours, while keeping his men and women real, also manage to distance them in time by means of well- observed dress codes and mannerisms,stylizing them as ghosts of another era, representatives of Bengal’s past.
ARUNA BHOWMICK.
‘THE STATESMAN’ (NewDelhi) 8.1
08.10.2004
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