Important Notice

“As I began to paint, the landscapes came naturally and gradually, the outlines faded into abstracts.” ? RAM KUMAR

Ram Kumar’s early work of the 1950s were defined by an engagement with figuration that leveraged the ability of the human face to express the drama of life. A trip to Benares with M F Husain in 1960 changed the course of his art; the figures receded as the background of his paintings gained precedence, with... “As I began to paint, the landscapes came naturally and gradually, the outlines faded into abstracts.” ? RAM KUMAR

Ram Kumar’s early work of the 1950s were defined by an engagement with figuration that leveraged the ability of the human face to express the drama of life. A trip to Benares with M F Husain in 1960 changed the course of his art; the figures receded as the background of his paintings gained precedence, with Kumar transmuting the breadth of man’s experience into his landscapes. Recognisable manmade and natural forms dissolved into a chorus of colours whose expressive potency, Kumar believed, outdid those of discernible subjects. He wrote in his notebook, “… perhaps a human face or a recognisable image shuts all doors to an observer as far as the basic essence of a work of art is concerned. Only the superficial image remains on the surface which has very little to do with art. As in classical music words are insignificant. In art image is distraction.” (The artist quoted in Gagan Gill ed., “From Ram Kumar’s Notebooks”, Ram Kumar: A Journey Within, New Delhi: Vadehra Art Gallery, 1996, p. 201)

The artist invites absolute attention through skillful use of colour as form. A diligent student of colour, he masterfully harmonises them to evoke not just immediate associations with physical reality but also the very experience of nature. Art writer Meera Menezes writes, “The variegated colours of these irregular planes are suggestive of tracts of sea and sand, of rocky mountains and flat fields, of barren, parched earth and fecund vegetation. It is left to colour and brush strokes to transmit the moods and sensations that the various topographical elements convey. Perhaps they even represent the more unseen but perceived elements in the phenomenal world—the warm sunshine, a cooling breeze, the dampness of mists or hot, gusty winds. Ochres, rusts, yellows, greens, mauves, and ultramarine blues are orchestrated together to produce complex colour symphonies, which induce alternate feelings of both movement and stillness.” (Meera Menezes, Ram Kumar: Traversing the Landscapes of the Mind, Mumbai: Saffronart, 2016, p. 13)

Art critic Richard Bartholomew, a close follower of Ram Kumar’s career, noted the technical skill with which the artist creates his sublime immersive works, “Whenever I see a Ram Kumar painting... I get the feeling that I’ve been there before... The very forms of the composition suggest that. The hard and the soft, the tangible and the elusive, the structure and the sensation. The structure of what lies before the eyes, and the sensation of what lies behind... Ram’s work draws us into its field of vision, involving us visually, stimulating us to see this detail or that... There is great depth, in perspective and feeling. The experience encountered is extremely refined. A reductive principle in composition and an immaculate technique determine the scale.” (“Ram Kumar ‘73”, Richard Bartholomew, The Art Critic, New Delhi: BART, 2012, p. 536)

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site