DAG (formerly known as Delhi Art Gallery), New Delhi
Asit Kumar Haldar was grand-nephew of Rabindranath Tagore and he was trained under Abanindranath Tagore during his time at Government School of Art, Calcutta. He was a prominent painter and sculptor of Bengal School. He is known for his versatility as he explored and mastered mediums like oil, watercolor and tempera before he developed his own technique with coating wood with lacquer called ‘lacit’. We can clearly see the influence of Pahari and Mughal miniatures in his work depicted by fine details and recurring mythological themes. He made a series of paintings based on the rich history and cultural heritage of India, Buddhist imageries and translated Omar Khayyam's verses. This particular folio from one of the scenes from the Omar Khayyam Series, he illustrated a group of elderly men engaged in serious conversation possibly about religious scriptures or literature. He anchors the composition with ornamented architecture of late Mughal court layouts. In contrast to this, there’s a younger man looking lost in his own thoughts, walking away from the group, gazing downwards that suggests he’s contemplating his own philosophical path. Haldar utilized the architecture of the space to create various visual planes for suggesting perspective and depth into the composition. Haldar shifts the image away from a simple literary illustration into a visual essay.
The painting depicts a group of man gathered in a seious discussion likely about literature or religious texts while a younger figure walk away lost in thought suggesting that the young man may have lost the debate.The younger man turning away captures a relatable humane moment when a elders suppress ideas which comes from young generation under the weight of authority. Ommar Khayamm verses are filled with this tension, the elders clustered together representing orthodoxy ,conservatism and accumulated knowledge. while the younger one's depicts Khammiyan impulse to question ,to wander,to seek one;s path despite the comfort of certainty.Haldar deliberately covers multiple levels in his paintings to create depth and perspective.The physical distance between them is a metaphor for intellectual and emotional distance.
