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 In
Black and White: The Authorized Biography of Manjit
Bawa, By Ina Puri (PENGUIN BOOKS, RS. 425)
Manjit Bawa, path blazer, legend, rebel. If you're remotely
interested in modern Indian Art, you know of Manjit
Bawa. You've seen his paintings. You've been stunned
at his use of colour, interpretation of mythology, mastery
over contours and form.
Ina Puri, Bawa's friend, tells of the artist's life,
growth and evolution: his personal and professional
trials and triumphs. She writes easily, without affectation,
the narrative hugging Bawa's life and tracing its contours
in a poetically fitting manner. There is nothing of
the awe-struck school-girl in Puri; she criticizes and
compliments with equal dignity and ease. With her intimate
knowledge of the Indian art scene, she contextualizes
Bawa within his times and peers.
Manjit grew to love art because of his elder brother,
Manmohan, an artist himself. After his schooling, he
joined what is now the Delhi College of Art, where his
career was almost thwarted by the prejudices and pre-conceived
notions there. Not a single work was sold at his first
solo show. Being the rebel that he had always been,
Manjit defied mainstream and stood his ground. He organized
'Rejects 1984' with other artists, a symbolic finger-in-the-face
of the art establishment that had rejected unconventional
work.
Puri digresses at times - focusing on the man more and
the artist less. The book is not uninitiated-friendly:
you need to know a bit about Indian Art to understand
it. There are very few plates showcasing Bawa's work,
which I think is important in an artist's biography!
- TARA KAUSHAL
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