Sanjay Bhattacharya, please don't be Anakin Skywalker!

Sanjay Bhattacharya is possibly India's finest painter-

shadows after the light by sanjay bhattacharyaClick for a larger image
Shadows after the light
52.5 X 152.5 cm
oil on canvas
1995



Except when he does something silly like this-


The escape by sanjay bhattacharyaThe escape
152.5 X 106.5 cm
oil on canvas
1995


One is left wondering -what is going on? Are an itinerant (and giant) cup and a saucer (or two) loitering at the doorway of this haveli expecting alms? Is this Alice in wonderland, perhaps set in Rajasthan(Alisha in Bundelkhand, say)?

I suspect this is Sanjay Bhattacharya trying to impress the modernist ulta-seedha (without head or tail) crowd, the kind of people who can stare with admiration at a canvas painted jet black and go 'ooh' and 'ah' over disembowled bodies that adorn many modern paintings.

Oh no, Mr. Bhattacharya - there is no need to pander to this brainless mob, even if it overflows at the arty-sharty cocktail set. You are far too good for that. Put all the Souzas, the Husseins, the Bawas of this world along with legions of modernist and post-modernist hacks(hard to call them artists) together, and still they would not even be worthy of lickng clean your ass(not that you would like them to).

Pardon my vulgarity but we live in vulgar times (go to any art gallery or watch an edgy 'comedy' show on the BBC) and as the finest jedi of the Indian art it is vital that you do not pass over to the dark side.

May I remind you, in the end, that this is the Sanjay Bhattacharya we all love-

Cityscape -II
Cityscape-II
watercolor
22inches X 30inches

Comments

Anonymous said…
Haha Gurmeet you can lick clean his ass! the honour is all yours.