In 1960 Ram Kumar visited Varanasi for the first time. The physical structures as well as the spiritual resonances of the holy city made an intense impact on the artist. "It was not merely outward appearances which were fascinating but they were vibrant with an inner life of their own, very deep and profound which left an everlasting impression on my artistic sensibility." (p. 89, As told to G. Gill, Ram Kumar: A Journey Within,...
In 1960 Ram Kumar visited Varanasi for the first time. The physical structures as well as the spiritual resonances of the holy city made an intense impact on the artist. "It was not merely outward appearances which were fascinating but they were vibrant with an inner life of their own, very deep and profound which left an everlasting impression on my artistic sensibility." (p. 89, As told to G. Gill, Ram Kumar: A Journey Within, Vadehra Art Gallery, 1996)
This particular painting of Varanasi marks an interesting turning point in Ram Kumar`s creative vision. In the 1990`s architectural constructs began to insert themselves into Ram Kumar`s depictions of fragmentary landscapes. Varanasi is a hybrid interlocking of the disparate physical characteristics of the city, both its manmade constructions as well as its natural attributes. The painting has a buoyant air, achieved through Ram Kumar`s uncharacteristic use of blue. "With broad, fluid handling, Ram Kumar dismantles the city: its earthworks are broken and rephrased along the flanks of valleys, laid out on highland pastures, gathered into the pure abstract motion of swirl and fall." (p. 41, Ranjit Hoskote, "The Poet of the Visionary Landscape", Ibid.)