SANAT KAR

Born in 1935 at Santiniketan,( West Bengal) Kar acquired his diploma in painting from the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Kolkata in 1955.

The artist maintained a low profile, and allowed his work to speak for him. His paintings are an eloquent testimony to his talent and artistic powers. He used the medium of tempera most often in his work and there are layers within layers that emerge on closer perusal. A favourite is the image of the sea: an angry grey-green out of which arise men and women as if just born, still with the placental fluid obscuring their faces. A large number of the creatures are amphibious, showing the all-pervading influence of water on our lives and the fear that it can generate.

Birth and death, the beginning and the end of the cycle of life held endless fascination for Kar, as did the grotesque and the macabre. Sometimes he moves the spotlight on to the visages that are images of decay and mask-like in their contours. Protruding eyes, bulbous, squashed noses, loose lips and an expression that signifies the human who is fast approaching the end and losing all interest and dignity in the bargain appears occasionally in his work.

The colours Kar utilised were in keeping with his sombre mood. Mauve, dark green, browns, magentas and greys do nothing to relieve the pervasive darkness. He played cleverly with alternating levels of light and dark to highlight the atmosphere of gloom. The texture of the material he worked with also adds to the aura and his detailed penmanship lends credence to the whole.