DIFFERENT STROKES

An ongoing exhibition in Delhi spotlights Bireswar Sen and his son Sureshwar - two forgotten modernist artists of Bengal - who differed in art practice, style and vision

- PRIYAMVADA RANA

IF a shared passion for art can bring an artist father-son duo closer together in a posthumous exhibition; it's the differences in their artistic endeavors that make the viewer stop for a long gaze at their works.

The ongoing exhibition, 'Father and Son,' co-hosted by the India International Centre (IIC) and The Raza Foundation, showcases variations in style, themes, and expressions in the works of Bengali modernists Bireswar Sen and his son Sureshwar Sen.

Managing trustee of the Raza Foundation and poet Ashok Vajpeyi, who opened the show, said at the exhibition's inauguration: "The late art critic and historian BN Goswamy asked me years ago if I had seen the works of Bireswar Sen. I was astonished that I did not know anything about him. I learned that Goswamy was thinking of putting together an exhibition of the father and son—both very different kinds of painters. I thought it was worth exploring."

Making a distinction between their works, Vajpeyi said: "Bireswar had the taste and eye for the small (miniature). The detailing he did in a small space brings the grandeur of the mountains, makes one feel the beauty of the sunsets, and witness the tiny human figures. It underscores that nothing needs to be crowded in order to attract attention. In a way, Bireswar was looking at eternity."

On the other hand, his son and disciple, Sureshwar, was looking at history in his compositions. Art, somewhere, lies in this dark grey space between eternity and history.

The exhibition was an exploration of that unknown space. Conceptualised by Goswamy in 2023, it came to fruition with a team of curators comprising art historian and author Ella Datta; former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Delhi, Pradip Kumar Datta; senior exhibition designer Aparna Nambiar; and son of Sureshwar and grandson of Bireswar Sen, Prithviswar Sen.