The legendary Jehangir Sabavala comes to life through a carefully curated exhibition of his works donated by his wife this year. Ornella D'Souza takes a look
There is something reverential about being in the presence of Jehangir Sabavala's last painterly possessions, currently on display at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalya (CSMVS). Dried paint clings to his brushes and palette, his weathered outdoor easel, his spiral-bound notebook with handwritten notes and an unfinished canvas carefully listing what shade should occupy which segment of his painting, there's also the life-size photograph of the modernist in his studio with his trademark handlebar moustache smiling warmly at the viewer… all part of the140 works that the late artist's wife Shirin Sabavala donated to the CSMVS in May this year.
Curator Ranjit Hoskote, poet and culture theorist, has not just arranged the artworks according to their timeline but created five physical demarcations to display photographs, paintings, belongings and art objects to explain his psyche. He places Sabavala's work among the indigenous and global art ongoings of the artist's time. In doing so, he establishes a delightful parallel narrative for the viewer's understanding of the art scene from the 15th century to 2011. He starts off by exploring the timeline of the 500-year-old tradition of having a studio space by inserting a photograph of Sabavala's outdoorsy studio setup before abstract expressionist Rotkho's retreat and library-like setting. Along with a physical representation of Sabavala's studio.
Section two features Sabavala's last six paintings, including the unfinished canvas that cites awe to his meticulous approach to painting by enlisting a number to every fragment of his abstract paintings.
In the third section, Hoskote introduces the museum's reserved collections to showcase primarily Japanese and Himalayan art pieces, sources from which the artist drew influence to refine his skill. So, he juxtaposes a Sabavala painting in muted reds with a fiery Tibetan painting or incites comparisons to the artist's Japonisme techniques by showcasing three Japanese paintings - Character from a Kabuki Play (1958), Benkei - The Warrior Priest I & II (1955) along with Jehangir's Stranger and I (1990). There are also the brass symbols of Vajrayana Buddhism and lacquer works from the Meji period.
The next section focuses on the paradigm shifts at the JJ School of Art that influenced his work, his collage book showcasing his fixation for supple male bodies amuses, comparative paintings indicating the influences he drew from his teachers, a few still lifes in the J.J. School tradition and intricate sketches of furniture with Japanese artwork for clients.
The last section has Durga Shankar Bajpai's original Jehangir Art Gallery's floor plans, a space that witnessed several of Sabavala's exhibitions.
Hoskote's bond with the late artist can be seen through his books, Pilgrim, Exile, Sorcerer: The Painterly Evolution of Jehangir Sabavala and The Crucible Of Painting: The Art Of Jehangir Sabavala.
(Unpacking the Studio: Celebrating the Jehangir Sabavala Bequest is on at the Jehangir Nicholson Gallery, CSMVS till December 31, 2015)
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