A forgotten master's oeuvre

The works of

AA Almelkar

, one of India's least known masters is in town. He happens to be an extraordinary artist from Karnataka

Who was

Abdulrahim Appabhai Almelkar

? After taking in the spectacular show, Inspiration and Impact at the National Gallery of Modern

Art

(NGMA) where works by Almelkar are displayed, it seems surprising that anyone would have to ask.

More than two hundred and fifty works, many on cardboards and some on khaki mounted boards; display Almelkar's prowess in the Indian decorative style, the lyrical lines defining forms and decorative elements. From tribal people, farmers and drummers to Oriental fishermen, the oeuvre depicts an artist who travelled extensively and more importantly, observed minutely.

Almelkar (1920-1982) hailed from Bijapur and trained at Nutan Kala Mandir (Mumbai) under G S Dandavatimath, the venerated 'kala' guru from North Karnataka who also guided artists like KK Hebbar. Still, he is less spoken about, especially in the context of Indian contemporary artists. "But that does not mean his contribution was not significant," says the curator of the show, Suhas Bahulkar who is an artist himself and currently, the chairperson of NGMA (Mumbai).

Paintings of AA Almelkar that are currently on display in the city showcase his distinctive style.

As an artist, Almelkar had received several accolades in his lifetime- 20 gold medals, 24 silver medals, two-time winner of the Lalit Kala Academy Award (1956, 1960) apart from recognition from prestigious institutions. In 1955, some political leaders from Malaysia and Indonesia bought his works in India and as a result, he received invitations to hold exhibitions in Malaysia. He travelled to Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Sri Lanka for solo shows and came back with sketches of South East Asia that were inspirations for several of his paintings.

But Bahulkar remembers Almelkar's distinctive personality fondly . "I first met him as a student when I would attend the demonstrations by artists which Almelkar would arrange at Nutan Kala Mandir."

When Bahulkar began teaching at the JJ School of Art in the seventies, he extended invitations to Almelkar to demonstrate his artistry there. "What a riot the sessions were," Bahulakar laughs. The veteran artist would use his fingers to apply colours, and create textures with jute, rags and even combs. "But often he would sing loudly as he painted making it a delight to watch."

Once, when the duo walked from the verdant campus of JJ School of Art to a nearby crowded market, Almelkar sang Hindi songs all along the way. "Suddenly, he burst out singing Sayo nara and turned into one of the narrow lanes in the crowded market. That's when I realised his house was somewhere there," Bahulkar narrates. It was fateful for when the news came to him that the artist had died in Pune after a massive heart attack, Bahulkar went in search of the family in the middle of the night. "He had two wives and several children. The family was not well-off," he comments.

In 1986, when NGMA Mumbai had just opened, a student of Almelkar approached Bahulkar with the news that the family's condition had become pathetic. The latter approached NGMA with an offer of 2500 paintings by Almelkar which were stored in his house and in Nutan Kala Mandir. "After negotiations, the family received two lakhs and forty thousand for all his works. Can you imagine that?" Bahulkar laughs wryly.

Most of the displayed paintings are from this collection. When the then NGMA committee requested Bahulkar to curate the show in 2015, few knew about the fact that he was instrumental in NGMA acquiring the paintings.

'Inspiration and Impact' first opened in Mumbai. That show had one section which hasn't appeared in the city which was titled: Paintings presented by Almelkar. "He was generous and had a habit of gifting his paintings to friends and acquaintances," Bahulkar says. So, he travelled from Sholapur to Nagpur and Pune to Ahmedabad, talking to sources in order to reach out those who had the paintings.

Almelkar, who travelled and stayed in tribal villages for a large period of time throughout his lifetime, had gifted several works to people in the villages he stayed. Bahulkar soon found himself in a village in Pauni, Maharashtra. "This particular village is now within the Naxalite area. It was amazing to find people who remembered him after all these years." The appearance of tigers in Almelkar's works is the direct result of the common sightings in that region back then.

Almelkar, who counted peers like MF Husain and FN Souza as good friends, would argue and fight with them about his traditional style. "I have witnessed good-natured fights among them," Bahulkar says. "Almelkar fought modernism to retain the Indian-ness in his works. Be it mountains, birds, animals or human forms, he would render it in his own Almekar' style."

And finally, that became his limitation. "He became repetitive," Bahulkar says. "He could be categorised with musicians Balamurali Krishna, MS Subbalakshmi and Bhimsen Joshi who had their own distinctive styles but did not experiment. Whereas artists like KG Subramanian and MF Husain were like musician Kumar Ghandarva who experimented with élan."

Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.