Month: February 2006

A retrospective of the artist’s works, on display at a premier Delhi art gallery, tells a variety of tales.

HT Image

He is one of the country’s best-known artists. Now, the premier art institution, the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Delhi, is honoring Satish Gujral with a retrospective of his works. The Satish Gujral retrospective, in Delhi, includes 200 of the artist’s works — including sculptures, charcoals, and oils. On display are some of his earliest works from 1948 to his latest sports series.

“I’m celebrating the joy of life,” says the 80-year-old, Jhelum-born artist who began his career by capturing the trauma of Partition. He’s turned full circle, from those early, grim paintings to a celebration of the achievement of life through a series on sports. “There’s a dark and a light side to life. Right now, I’m celebrating the light.”

There is, of course, much to celebrate. Gujral is perhaps one of the most versatile artists whose work encompasses sculptures, murals, and buildings, including the famous Belgian Embassy, which was voted one of the 1,000 best buildings of the 20th century by the International Forum of Architects.

And with his autobiography, A Brush With Life, he also established himself as a writer.

“A retrospective is the celebration of a lifetime’s achievement,” says Rajeev Lochan, director of the NGMA.

Under Lochan, the NGMA has busied itself with organizing several retrospectives in the recent past.

Late last year, the NGMA had a Jehangir Sabavala retrospective. The next artist due to be honored is : Tyeb Mehta.

He is one of the country’s best-known artists. Now, the premier art institution, the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Delhi, is honoring Satish Gujral with a retrospective of his works.

HT Image

He is one of the country’s best-known artists. Now, the premier art institution, the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Delhi, is honoring Satish Gujral with a retrospective of his works.

The Satish Gujral retrospective, in Delhi, includes 200 of the artist’s works — including sculptures, charcoals, and oils. On display are some of his earliest works from 1948 to his latest sports series.

“I’m celebrating the joy of life,” says the 80-year-old, Jhelum-born artist who began his career by capturing the trauma of Partition. He’s turned full circle, from those early, grim paintings to a celebration of the achievement of life through a series on sports. “There’s a dark and a light side to life. Right now, I’m celebrating the light.”

There is, of course, much to celebrate. Gujral is perhaps one of the most versatile artists whose work encompasses sculptures, murals, and buildings, including the famous Belgian Embassy, which was voted one of the 1,000 best buildings of the 20th century by the International Forum of Architects.

And with his autobiography, A Brush With Life, he also established himself as a writer.

“A retrospective is the celebration of a lifetime’s achievement,” says Rajeev Lochan, director of the NGMA.

Under Lochan, the NGMA has busied itself with organizing several retrospectives in the recent past.

Late last year, the NGMA had a Jehangir Sabavala retrospective. The next artist due to be honored: Tyeb Mehta.

Refusing to accept Maxim Editor’s apology, actress Khushboo has filed a petition with Chennai Police.

HT Image

There is a new twist to the Maxim-Khushboo tale. Ever since the lad mag Maxim published an admittedly morphed picture of the southern film star — using her face on the body of a woman dressed in underwear — Khushboo has threatened legal action. But while the publishers have been waiting for legal notice, what they seem to have got instead is an eve-teasing charge.

Refusing to accept Maxim editor Sunil Mehra’s apology, Khushboo filed a petition with Chennai police commissioner R. Nataraj on January 30. She had two complaints: defamation and the indecent representation of women, both bailable offences.

Speaking to reporters about taking ‘suitable action’, Nataraj ordered copies of Maxim to be seized in the city. But the magazine’s lawyer, K.S. Natarajan, said the police had added another offence under a 1998 state act against eve-teasing. The offence is non-bailable.

Neither Mehra nor the magazine’s associate publisher, Piyush Sharma, was available for comment, though, in an earlier statement, Mehra said he was ‘deeply apologetic’ for hurting the actor.

Khushboo has had her share of woes since September last year when her remark that there was nothing wrong with premarital sex had conservative groups up in arms.

The morphed picture that was part of a spoof on ‘the women you’d never see in Maxim’ was published with the caption, “Of course, I am a virgin if you don’t count from the behind.”

Vinod Mehta, editor, of Outlook, said, “I believe the editor of Maxim erred grievously by publishing the picture. But by adding an eve-teasing charge, this becomes a case of harassment by the Tamil Nadu police. This is not a case of eve-teasing and I denounce and condemn the police for trying to make out a case.”