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Holy grail for art lovers: Suhas Bahulkar's encyclopaedia on visual artists associated with Maharashtra

The artist talks to Ornella D'Souza about plans for a second edition and the painstaking research and legwork that went into the project

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Artist Suhas Bahulkar, editor of the 1,200-page Marathi encyclopedia titled Drishyakala Khand, (centre) A 1790 painting by artist Gangaram Chintanam Tambat
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"The JJ School of Art is yet to be documented in detail. The staff and members of this institution contributed to the making of Victoria Terminus, Rajabhai Tower, Flora Fountain, Crawford Market... Yet, many important artists who came out of here are forgotten," says artist Suhas Bahulkar, listing his reasons behind putting together Drishya-kala Khand. It is the first-ever encyclopedia on Maharashtra's visual art history between 1765-1960 that was published in 2013, in Marathi. While the first draft of an English translation of the 2013 book is being edited, Bahulkar, also the Chairperson of the advisory committee of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, is keen for a Marathi reprint.

This 1,200-page tome is a concise account of 305 painters, sculptors, applied artists and cartoonists – famous, forgotten or unacknowledged – who were born in Maharashtra or worked here. It's the sixth volume in Charitrakosh, a series of 12 volumes dedicated to specific subjects such as science, theatre, music, that was co-issued by weekly Saptahik Vivek and publisher Hindusthan Prakashan Sanstha.

While the Bengal and Bengal Revival School movements are thoroughly documented, the history and proponents of movements pre-and-during British rule in Maharashtra, such as the Bombay School, are still vague.

"People are aware of the Progressive Artists group. But many art practices took place before, for this group to form," points out the 63-year-old ex-student and professor of the JJ School of Arts and artist behind the governors' portraits of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He's now curator of NGMA's ongoing exhibition on artist AA Almelkar.

It took six-and-a-half years to bring out the volume, because Bahulkar had very few names to begin with. He first put his team in place – an advisory board comprising of artist Sudhir Patwardhan, art historian Deepak Karnal, artist-curator Dilip Ranade and cartoonist SD Phadnis, and an editorial team, including art critic Deepak Ghare and ex-JJ professor Ranjan Joshi. Artists were finalised through casting lots. Each artist must have 25 years of art practice. Bahulkar was particular that each bio feature names of the artists' mother and wife and was devoid of controversies involving homosexuality, extramarital affairs and photographs of artworks displaying frontal nudity "as the volume be sent to schools".

A fairly obscure Gangaram Chintanam Tambat is the oldest artist in the volume. Four of his paintings, including a 1790 painting of a rhino in the Peshwa's Pune menagerie, saw the light of print for the first time ever in this encyclopaedia. While Sudershan Shetty (b.1961) is the youngest artist featured, artist Sunil Gawde (b.1960) comes a close second.

Locating the original artwork was tedious. Paintings were found deteriorating at warehouses of museums in interior Maharashtra. The original Draupati Swayamwar painting by GH Nagarkar (1892-1956) in wash-technique – which won a gold medal in the 1927 Bombay Art Society exhibition – was discovered in a Nagpur museum warehouse with cockroaches feeding of the paint.

Also, locating families of artists long deceased had the team in a conundrum. For instance, contacting all the nine Pochkhanawalas in the phone directory to track down sculptor Piloo Pochkhanawala's daughter. Or tracing artist VS Gurjar's family after they moved from Girgaon and then Matunga before a common acquaintance put both parties in touch.

But he is doubtful about funds for the second edition and English translation. For instance, the publishers couldn't fund the 72-page colour insert, Kalasanchit, on rare artworks, which Bahulkar finally drew from his pocket. "We need Rs10 lakh for a reprint. The Maharashtra government is more inclined to set up an RK Laxman museum, than preserving the JJ school collection or funding this project. Maharashtra is the most backward state for promoting visual arts. Goa, being so small, has budgeted Rs100 crores for the arts, but Maharashtra, not even Rs55 crores."

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