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Ara aah

Published by Yazad Jal May 1st, 2004 in Art / Literature

I went for a quick browse trip to the National Gallery of Modern Art in Bombay this afternoon. NGMA’s permanent collection was on display (they’re most probably in-betwen exhibitions). Most of the stuff was ordinary, with some kitsch thrown in for good measure.

On the first floor, I saw a still life by K H Ara called Flowerpot that made my trip worthwhile. It was small (3′ x 2′) and well framed with a silk screen back. A grey, long necked flowerpot with bright red poppies dominated the canvas. One poppy had fallen out and lay at the foot of the pot. The flowerpot was on a window sill and you could see the window pane slightly ajar. Outside, the sky was blue and the sea beckoned. There were silhouettes on a beach. This was not just a still life, but gave a peek of a landscape waiting to be seen (and painted?)

Not having the means to buy the painting (even if NGMA decided to sell, which would be a rarity), I decided to find out if at least a print existed. No luck. Plus photography of art inside the gallery is prohibited. No catalogue of the works on display existed. I googled, but this work of Ara was not on the web. So this is a plea for all those who read my blog to see if they can help! In the meanwhile I shall also write to the curator of NGMA, Dr. Saryu Doshi to see if she would allow me to take a pic of the painting.

8 Responses to “Ara aah”  

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  1. 1 anon May 3rd, 2004 at 10:44 am

    “Plus photography of art inside the gallery is prohibited”

    …there is something to be said for a teensy bendification of rules, especially for art. (cameras are getting smaller and smaller, y’know)

  2. 2 Yazad May 4th, 2004 at 2:55 pm

    That’s generally not my style. Plus my objective is to frame a print and cameraphone resolutions would be too poor for that.

  3. 3 Ravikiran May 4th, 2004 at 3:33 pm

    Plus he doesn’t HAVE a cameraphone.

  4. 4 Yazad May 4th, 2004 at 4:33 pm

    That’s trivial Ravi. I have many friends who do have cameraphones and would gladly lend it to me to take surreptitious pics.

  5. 5 Ravikiran May 4th, 2004 at 5:17 pm

    I don’t know re baba. If I ask any friend of mine for his cameraphone to take surreptitious pics, he will give it to me, but he will look at me strangely if I tell him that the surreptitious purpose is in fact taking photographs of paintings at an art gallery.

  6. 6 Yazad May 4th, 2004 at 10:33 pm

    LOL Ravi, that too. But I’m known to be sufficiently crazy, so my friends would believe the truth ;-)

  7. 7 MadMan May 5th, 2004 at 12:27 am

    How crazy is “sufficiently crazy”? :)

    (says the guy whose nick is MadMan)

  8. 8 Yazad May 5th, 2004 at 11:39 am

    Sufficient enough to use a cameraphone in an art gallery instead of the ladies bathroom ;-)