This star will keep shining

K.G. Subramanyan was one of the most important figures in Indian art, particularly in the period after Independence. Well known as a painter, muralist and printmaker, he was also a very important writer and pedagogue. When he died in Baroda on Wednesday evening, aged 92, it was the passing of a living legend, the only person from the world of art who was awarded the Padma Shri, Kalidas Samman, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. I had the privilege of hosting his 2009 retrospective at the Kalakriti Art Gallery in Hyderabad, and by the time we hosted him personally in 2014, he was already into his early ’90s, slowly settling into a period of gradual withdrawal from the daily bustle of the art industry. What was evident was the immense knowledge and experience that he had and was ever willing to share. What came across very clearly was his deep humility, that came from an immersed realisation of life, its struggles and its journey.

Popularly known as “Mani-da”, Subramanyan began his journey as a student at Visvabharati’s Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan. That time he had had no initiation into the fine arts, but as a participant in the Quit India Movement against the British Raj was being hounded by the police and had heard that Rabindranath Tagore’s Santiniketan campus was a safe haven for young nationalists. He had the great fortune of being a student of the legendary Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij and Benode Behari Mukherjee, and from the culture of Santiniketan he easily imbibed Tagore’s universalism, which connected Europe, Asia, the Far East and Indian folk cultures within the same hierarchy of knowledge.

When India became independent, K.G. Subramanyan took on the task of setting up the painting department at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He belonged to the generation of Indian artists who were deeply invested in progressive ideas and European modernism. What set “Mani-da” apart was his deep empathy for the rural landscape of India and the rich folk cultures of the land. The way he brought together the formal concerns of modernist painting, the narrative tradition of Santiniketan and the visuality and skill of the Indian folk tradition has been unparalleled. Apart from his immense contributions through his personal work, he influenced an entire generation of students who went on to become very important figures in Indian art and its pedagogy.

In the contemporary multi-disciplinary world of the arts, it is even more important to remember that K.G. Subramanyan had worked in a variety of mediums, that includes painting, mural, weaving, and he also ventured into glass painting and terracotta murals, merging the artist and the artisan together. He shattered barriers between art and craft, and experimented with toymaking and children’s illustrations. When he was studying at Kala Bhavan, Subramanyan understood the importance of the mural tradition in the Indian visual culture; he served as an apprentice to Benode Behari Mukherjee, who, at the time, was painting the Hindi Bhavan murals in Santiniketan. That was the best training in mural making and spatial construction that a young artist could have. Since then murals have been an important part of his oeuvre, and he introduced it as medium to be taught in the very art school that he had been associated with. This range of his work and commitment has come across as extremely humbling to anyone who has observed him or has been closely associated with. His awards, achievements and accolades do not really sum up his worth in the history of modern art from Asia. He was the only one among his contemporaries who had deeply invested in nation-building as much as he invested in art-making. His book, The Living Tradition, is a masterpiece, that outlines his worldview and his way of looking at the history of art and its future.

For all those who knew him and whose lives he touched, there is a deep sense of loss today, the feeling that there is a void which may never be replaced. It is hard to think of anyone who can fill the grand presence he represented, imparting shelter and knowledge to his own generation and beyond. One will miss the assurance he conveyed, of understanding how art can shape life and society, that gave strength to all around him. That is an experience which is lost forever. His art works, with their diversity, challenge and richness, will always be around to remember him by, as all who loved him pray that his soul rests in peace, knowing he will continue to guide us from above like a shining star.

Prshant K. Lahoti is a well-known art gallery owner based in Hyderabad