Art historian BN Goswamy brings painter Nainsukh to Bangalore

Last evening saw a very unusual lecture and a film following it. The renowned art historian Professor BN Goswamy was in the city to deliver the inaugural lecture for Tasveer Foundation’s lecture series. The person he chose to speak on was Nainsukh, an 18th century Pahari painter from Guler region, who did his best work at Jasrota, with Raja Zorawar Singh and his son Raja Balwant Singh. His lecture was followed by a film, Nainsukh, directed by Amit Dutta and produced by Eberhard Fischer.

The lecture, The Unbearable Lightness of Drawing: The Painter Nainsukh and his Work, spoke of years of Professor Goswamy’s painstaking research on Nainsukh, tracking down his paintings and reconstructing his life. Bit by bit came alive a man long gone, a man who left detailed images of a place long changed and a time that no longer exists.

Born to a family of Pahari painters (his father Pandit Seu and elder brother Manak were famous Pahari painters who are still revered by art historians), Nainsukh found his artistic fulfilment in carving out his own style of painting. And those left an indelible mark on the history of Indian art. “The price of a painting is no indicator of its value. However, one of his paintings was auctioned for two million dollars last year, and this may give an idea of what collectors think of him,” says Professor Goswamy.

Pahari painting was also a miniature style of painting, as was the Mughal style. So where does Nainsukh fit in? “Pahari painting was more interested in mythology. The colours were richer, but usually didn’t explore landscapes or background. As a result, they were almost flat, without much depth. Imagination took pole position here, instead of observation. The naturalism in Mughal paintings appealed to Nainsukh. He combined the two, to create his own style. He never let go of imagination, there’s almost a poetic element in him and yet, he was an observer par excellence. The details, the backgrounds in his paintings, make them almost life-like imagery,” explains Professor Goswamy.

“The man had extraordinary talent. He was able to absorb any influence and create his own work. He observed extremely well, picked up the tiniest details and was intensely human. His patron, Balwant Singh was a prince of meagre means, but a passionate connoisseur of arts. And Nainsukh created a magical, fantasy world for him. Witty and human, Naisukh captured very intimate personal moments too — a duck hunt; the prince holding his own umbrella, supervising construction and many more such glimpses of his life. The great draftsman that he was, Nainsukh was able to capture any changes in mood or atmosphere,” continues Professor Goswamy.

For those interested in knowing more about Nainsukh, Professor Goswamy recommends the film Nainsukh: “I may not agree with everything that has been said there, but nevertheless it is a beautiful film. It is not a cut and dried documentary, it is innovative, it is engaging and has won many awards around the world.”

Not an easy man to track down; the only notes Nainsukh left behind are the hundred odd existing paintings and sketches. In India, The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai) houses a collection of his paintings, as do the Chandigarh and Calcutta museums. The Victoria and Albert Museum too has some; but in all not more than a hundred of his paintings have survived. All the more reason not to forget him.

Bangalore only has Tasveer Foundation to thank for this chance to know Nainsukh. An attempt to explore the world of arts and aesthetics deeply and in an institutionalised manner, the Tasveer Foundation seeks to share with a larger audience this world of arts. To this end, they have started a monthly lecture series on art, design, architecture, photography, textile, fashion, film, advertising, craft and whatever else is covered under the spectrum of visual delight and aesthetics. Professor Goswamy’s lecture was the inaugural lecture and it was very fitting that he chose to share with Bangalore a well-kept secret, a man who had so much to offer.