DRAWINGS OF RAMKUMAR

28 Feb, 2016 - 30 Mar, 2016

Nungambakkam

Multiple Happenings in a Meditative Space

Drawings of Ramkumar, done in pen and ink, on paper, have a mesmerizing presence, with a substance, which touches our heartand mind, the moment we fix our gaze at them. The lines, with animmediacy of their own, start taking us to a journey, and alert uswith each drawing, that we will be experiencing a visually, as wellintellectually stimulating sojourn. The lines do not seem torepresent any particular object, or figure, in an abstract mode, butare in themselves witnesses or vehicles, through which certain
'passing' moments are being captured intently, and are beingtransmitted, to us like a telegraphic message. Thus, these linesmake us curious, and encourage us to view them intenselyassuring us that the intensity of our gaze will be rewardedaesthetically, and the movement of the lines, will go on creatingan enchanting rhythm within ourselves. These lines may notnecessarily refer to any musical 'mode' but have also a 'musical'pattern of their own, which is not to be missed.The drawings belong to the celebrated 'Varanasi phase' ofRamkumar's career, which transformed his 'figurative period' intoa non-representational one, and his paintings moved towards'abstract' landscapic forms and images, where colors also startedplaying a sensuous, luminous role, and evoked many a memoriesand emotions in the viewer. Yet, these drawings of the same earlysixties period have a different tale to tell. Here no landscape, howso ever abstract, is being formed; instead what one finds in thesedrawings is that they create in themselves a 'demographic'statement of the sensations and thought and ideas, which mayhave been in the artist's mind, while he was creating these works.Thus the ultimate formations, created in these drawings of crisscrossand 'merging', 'submerging' lines, have a 'reality' of theirown, which attracts us. And we want to come back to them againand again. Sheer beauty, and refined shape of thin, and not sothin lines, is captivating, and even without 'distilling' any signifiersfrom them, we can rejoice in their aesthetic substance itself. Thesedrawings form separate areas, then create their own 'bridges'which join them. Thus in the sojourn a viewer, passes throughmany winding and unwinding paths, and bridges. the drawingsare in black & white only, with shades of greys; and withoutattempting any consciously done tonal variations, Ramkumarsucceeds each time in giving an organic and natural look to thesedrawings. This aspect of Ramkumar'sdrawings subtly transmitsinto us a Saundarya of a rare quality.Some of the drawings show the traces of architectural constructs,and some images, shapes and figures emerge in certain drawings,some contain a geometrical familiarity, but even these have agerminal essence of their own; and do not seem to carry anyexternal Weight of 'seen' objects. A lightness of being pervadeshere, yet, this lightness has the capacity to carry in it, a 'discourse'and dialogues created out of the lines, to remember and to betaken forward.Ramkumar has observed once: “An artist shows the entry point tohis creative world and the rest depends on the onlooker, what hesees, feels and interprets. He has to make an effort to find forhimself what he is seeking and what the artist wants him to see”.The entry point' in these drawings is not ordained, in-fact there aremultiple entry points, and one may seek entry from any angle andfrom any spot of these drawings this is one more quality of theultimate 'structure' these creations have to offer. This makes thesedrawings truly 'open ended'; there are no barricades or divisions assuch, and the eyes have an easy access to the any area, any spotthey would like to rest for a while, and rejoice in the marvelousformations of their choice.