Page 118 - Iconic Masters October2023

A Milestone

Work by Krishen

Khanna

In this work, he depicts the onset of summer, which is reflected
through the blazing colour composition. Krishen Khanna manages
to capture his environment and the people he encounters with
great skill, evident here. The reactions of the watermelon vendor’s
patrons are captured almost panoramically, and a sense of joy
for life permeates through the canvas. The pleasure of dissipating
and quenching one’s thirst in India’s scathing heat makes this work
extremely intimate and enables viewers of all strata of society to
relate to this work. The colour composition adopted by the artist
harnesses the truth of the moment he intended to depict.

Born in Lyallpur (now Faislabad, Pakistan) in 1925, Krishen Khanna
moved to Shimla during the Partition. He was employed with
Grindlays Bank for which he moved to Bombay. The news of
Mahatma Gandhi’s demise shook the country, and was captured
by the artist through his painting titled ‘News of Gandhiji’s Death’,
which earned him recognition in the Indian art world. His ability
to capture the entire country’s emotions through the canvas was
commended. He effortlessly translated the emotions of the general
public as they read about the horrific news while gathered in one
spot. Later, he was invited to join the Progressive Artists’ Group
and had a long-lasting association with them. Krishen Khanna was
awarded the Rockefeller Fellowship in 1962 and was a resident
artist at the American University in Washington during the years
1963 - 1964.
After returning to India from the U.S. he came into his own as an
artist. While driving in Delhi, a procession of bandwallahs performing
blocked his path. Their bright red attire, teamed with their brassy
instruments, caught his attention, and he continued to use their
motif throughout the 1980s. He also returned to depicting the life
of a commoner, which was his subject of choice in his early days of
painting. Krishen Khanna was part of the decision-making bodies
of the Lalit Kala Akademi, National Gallery of Modern Art and
Roopanker Museum. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan Award
in 2011. The artist lives & works in Delhi.