Artist Devi Prasads ongoing retrospective is a tour of his life,art and philosophy The stage setting evokes a sense of history a life-size photograph of ceramist,painter and philosopher Devi Prasad,88,rises from the floor to the ceiling at Lalit Kala Akademi. Along one wall are showcased reproductions of Mahatma Gandhis letters to the artist; the artists kiln and potters wheel lie next to them relics that have been transported from his studio. His black-and-white photograph of a woman spinning cotton on a charkha completes the mood. Together,they create the perfect introduction to an exhibition of painting and pottery that spreads over two floor works that this pioneering artist has quietly created over the last four decades. One of Indias best studio potters,Prasad is also someone who believed in educating the next generation of artists,through the institute of Seva Gram. Music,art and literature provide possibilities which build a healthy human attitude.I do not expect once creative activity becomes the centre of education,a world without war will come into being; to abolish war its essential that men and women must be predisposed to peace and courageous enough to choose the path of love this poster-sized write-up highlights Devi Prasads ideals of non-violence,Utopia and the flower power movement of the 1960s. (The artist even became a peace activitist and a member of War Resistance International.) So how do a pot,a tea-set and a punch bowl some of the common subjects of his work become messages of peace? When an artist makes something it has to embody your philosophy. When I made my pots I would begin by making my own clay. Similarly I painted only with natural dyes. The act of creation was a complete process for me, says Prasad,who believes in the Gandhian philosophies of being self sufficient and embracing poverty. Curator Naman Ahuja,associate professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics,Jawaharlal Nehru University,says about the ongoing retrospective,I was working on the history of the art and craft movement and its impact on the Swadeshi movement. I realised that besides Tagore,Gandhi had a profound effect on the artists of Santiniketan,like Devi Prasad, says Ahuja,adding,From traditional miniatures to a modernist style of painting,he explored a wide range in art. In a telling self-portrait,the young artist reclines on a bed watching two lizards as he thumbs a book thoughtfully. A vase with flowers that perhaps refer to Vincent Van Goghs Sunflowers is placed on a book-shelf; there is a clear reference to Modernism,while the style he has employed in applying the colours and rendering the form,refers to the miniatures. In his earlier ceramic works,we see the influence of the Far East,where motifs like bamboo shoots and flying Herons appear on the surface of the glazed bone-china. Later Prasad comes into his own making his pots more rugged and embellishing them with images of tribal women. In the last years, Prasad has stopped working since 2004,he has gone for a more international look where his pots bear no motifs but are marked with abstract splashes of red and rust. Devi Prasad was not a village craftsman but an international ceramist, concludes Ahuja. The exhibition at Lalit Kala(Delhi) is on till May 21.
