Mysore :
Several works of spiritual art by Mysore artist Gopalachar Lakshmi Narasimha, more widely known as G.L.N. Simha, have been acquired by the Museum of Sacred Art in Brussels, Belgium recently.
This was disclosed by R.G. Singh, Secretary, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, at the fourth talk of Kalaa Dhaaraa, a mega exhibition of Contemporary Art initiative, held on Sunday at the Pratima Gallery in Nazarbad.
This exclusive museum devoted to sacred art is located in Brussels’ Baronial Castle which has a church attached to it. This church is now called Hindu Art Museum.
Stating that works of artists B.K.S. Varma and Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat are displayed at Kremlin in Russia and the Victor and Albert Museum in London respectively, R.G. Singh said now an exclusive museum dedicated to scared art has acquired the works of G. L.N. Simha. It is a matter of pride that Kalaa Dhaaraa has the opportunity to showcase Simha’s works, he added.
Earlier, Dr. S.R. Ramaswamy, well-known scholar, writer, critic and editor of Utthana, delivering the fourth talk ‘Mantra Mukura – Artistic Incantations of G.L.N. Simha,’ took the audience on a scholarly journey along path where art diverged into Oriental and Western art. What may be perceived as beautiful by the Western mind, the eastern mind may well see spiritual intonations in the same. It is in this context that one should perceive the unique art of Simha, said Dr. Ramaswamy adding that it would be noticed by the viewer of the paintings on display that there is religious narrative that underlies each painting.
The chief guest of the evening, Bhaskar Kalale, Vice-President and Head, India Ops of the US-based THEOREM at its Mysore campus, spoke of the relevance of art in a person’s life.
The fourth edition of the talk series began with a Vedic invocation by Raghu Dharmendra, Curator and Art Historian of Ramsons Kala Pratishtana.
A few of the gems from Simha’s extraordinary oeuvre on display at Kalaa Dhaaraa are the Swarnamba which creates a contemplative vision of Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Shakti, the Shristhi series from the Kalika Purana, the Shree Sukta of the Rig-Veda which depicts the innate connection between man and divinity by the divinities emanating from the sacred flame of the Yagnya and the one of the Bhairava series that provides a pointer to modes of contemplation.
Senior journalist M. B. Singh, former Editor of Sudha and Mayura and adviser to the Ramsons Kala Pratishtana Trust , was also present.
The works of 15 new artists were introduced to the works already on display: Anil Devadiga (Mangalore), Ashok Vaidikar (Gulbarga), B.C. Devaraju (H.D. Kote), Jayavanth Shettigar (Manipal), N. Kantharaj (Bangalore), N.B. Kaverappa (Mysore), Manjunath Wali (Bangalore), B.R. Naveen (Mysore), M.R. Pavanje (Mangalore), Purushotham Adve (Udupi), N. Rajesh (Mysore), H.B. Raju (Bangalore), Ramesh Rao (Udupi), D.K. Ranganath (Bagalkot) and S.S. Shimpi (Gulbarga).
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 15th, 2014