Research Assignment

Siddharth Gurung

Class XII

AP Studio Art

Krishen Khanna:

Krishen Khanna is a famous Indian contemporary artist who was born in Lyallpur in 1925, which was a part of India back then, but because of the partition it is now in Pakistan. He currently lives in Pakistan; Faisalabad. Krishen Khanna traveled a lot in his lifetime he also lived in Shimla during the partition period of India and Pakistan. Khanna learned and developed his great artsy talents in Mayo school of art in Lahore. Khanna started arts when there was not so much of scope and glitz for arts. He was later moved to Mumbai due to his work, he used to work in Grindlays Bank. Khanna was later asked to join the Progressive Artist’s group with which he associated for rest of his time. Krishen held his first major exhibition and sold his first painting to Dr. Homi Bhabha for the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Krishen was always motivated and supported by his father and wife also to pursue his career as an artist. Khanna has received many awards for his hard work, passion and interest for art. Krishen received the Rockefeller fellowship in 1962. He was also a residence artist at the American University in Washington in 1963-1964. He has also participated in many exhibitions like in Tokyo Biennale 1957 and 196 1, the Sao Paulo Biennale 1960, the Venice Biennale 1962, the Festival of India in the then USSR and in Japan in 1987 and 1988. Khanna was also awarded Padma Shri in 1996. His masterful maneuver of painting evokes the unmatched feelings of human situation. The thickness of paint in his artwork often seems like a prism through figures can be distinguished. . His earlier works are replicas of scenes that have imprinted themselves on his mind during the partition.

Kalighat Painting:

Kalighat is an actually a locality of Kolkata India, which is very densely populated and has a very rich culture. Kalighat painting is a form of art which was originated in Bengal in the 19^th century, which was very popular in the rural areas during that time. It is named after the temple in Kolkata which was situated on the banks of river Adi Ganga. This painting is done on clothes and patas. Kalighat painting is famous for its generously curving figures both of men and women. In Kalighat painting they used to depict the Gods and goddesses and historic and epics. Villagers used to perform this type of painting; while they travelled they used to carry their scroll paintings with them and sang the scenes from the epics that were depicted on the painting. Kalighat pata pictures are highly sophisticated, it does not give much importance to perspective and are usually created using pen and ink a drawing filled with flat bright colors and mostly uses paper as a substrates. The artists who used to do Kalighat style painting back then were rarely educated. Kalighat paintings also expressed European influences and innovations; it also expresses the wonder that ordinary Bengalis felt on exposure the European influences. Kalighat paintings are still created now days although genuine work is hard to find. This art form is very urban and hugely secular.