Artist Ompal Sansanwal makes comeback after 15 yrs

Sansanwal's affinity for nature comes from his upbringing in a village called Katwariya Sarai, which was surrounded by fields and jungles. He has exhibited his works in several solo and group exhibitions since 1995 and is a recipient of the Lalit Kala Akademi’s National Award (2002) and Rajasthan Lalit Kala Akademi’s award in 1991

The long-winded first auction season of 2024 has come to an end now as the big-ticket sales are done with, having given us some records to make note of and enjoy for a good many years to come. This column has been dealing with only auction estimates and records for more than two months now, considering that all the big names in the business — Saffronart, Pundole’s, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, AstaGuru and Todywalla Auctions — jointly brought forth a treasure chest of stupendous modern, contemporary and classical arts of India for the collectors.

I, therefore, have decided to take a break from auction prices for once, and look at pure creativity so that we can launch into market analysis again soon with renewed energy.

Last fortnight, a seminal contemporary artist emerged out of his 15-year hibernation and brought with him his signature scintillating works at a show at Bikaner House, New Delhi. The artist is Ompal Sansanwal, who I had the good fortune of interacting at leisure.

The exhibition, Jiva, featuring 60 paintings of trees and the diverse ecosystem they nurture, was curated by art historian Uma Nair and was presented by Sanya Malik’s Black Cube gallery.

The trees sprouted all over the venue through canvases in bright, solid colours such as yellow, blue and red. On some canvases, there were massive trees cradling stories and civilisations, while on some others, well-known stories were expressed through perpetually expanding roots and branches of trees, that not only defined the landscape but also the bodies of the figures.

The most arresting of these was the tree-Nataraja in bright yellow and red, which incidentally, is also the latest work from Sansanwal’s repertoire. Uma Nair, the curator of the show, says about this painting: “The Nataraja created with branches of the banyan is like a lattice of divinity bathed in the light of Bhakti.” Nair has also written the book, Meditations on Trees, to accompany the exhibition; it is published by Black Cube and Aleph Books.

While it was difficult to not be overwhelmed with the effulgence of spell-binding paintings all around, another one that literally seemed to draw the viewers to itself at the far end of the room was the pen and ink rendition of Krishna balancing the Govardhan hill on his little finger while the population of his native Mathura huddles underneath to escape fierce rain and thunderstorm; the latter is depicted with the solid blue background in acrylic, the shade hovering between cerulean and azure.

The plethora of trees, and nature in general, in the artist’s oeuvre, lays bare his strong and close affinity for nature. He shares: “I’ve grown up in a village called Katwariya Sarai—where now stands IIT Delhi—which at that time was about fields and jungles. In primary school, we would study under a tree and the entire day was spent running amongst trees, climbing up the branches, resting under the shade, collecting wild berries… we would spend almost the entire day outside. I remember the evenings spent with my mother listening to mythological stories, which as we all know, are replete with man’s close connect with nature. So, years later, when I joined the Delhi College of Art, nature was an integral part of my being. Some more years later, I realized the pull of nature on me and went back to it.”

Sansanwal works with pen and ink, watercolour and a detailed crosshatching technique using acrylic paint on canvas. He has exhibited his works in several solo and group exhibitions since 1995 and is a recipient of the Lalit Kala Akademi’s National Award (2002) and Rajasthan Lalit Kala Akademi’s award in 1991.

It's not a surprise then that the artist has undertaken several trips to only soak in nature, prominent among which remain his treks through the Himalayas and frequent visits to Bharatpur bird sanctuary, amongst others.

While the theme of nature, and more specifically, the tree of life, is a very evident summation of his oeuvre, Sansanwal surprises by adroitly amalgamating mythological and other stories in the narrative. It can be likened to coming together of the important strands in his trajectory as an artist — the affinity for nature and the mythological stories that he grew up on, both represented as an organic whole through intricate, dextrous drawing, detailing and crosshatching.

“As nature kept pulling me towards it, I gradually realized that I had found my visual language. So, no matter what you learn at an art school — the skills, western techniques, various experimentations, etc., you keep going back to roots. My roots finally gave me the language that is mine. Now, no matter what theme I may pick up, it is expressed in my distinct language,” he elaborates.

His college senior Neeraj Goswami influenced Sansanwal’s art, often inadvertently, from which he had to practically wean himself away to be able to chart his own independent journey. Among global greats, Sansanwal lists Vincent van Gogh, the 19th century Post-Impressionist Dutch painter, as a profound influence. “Till about the third year in college, I didn’t quite like realism but then I read Lust for Life (the biographical novel by Irving Stone on van Gogh’s life) and was totally converted. Not just his style of painting but his life itself became a huge source of inspiration for me,” says the artist, now in his late 50s.

A question that I cannot help asking is about the 15-year hibernation. Sansanwal answers matter-of-factly, “I don’t paint for a show. I paint without any goal and do a show when I feel I’m ready for it. The struggle may be hard and long, but it is like trekking with a heavy rucksack on your back. It is tiring but after two days of walking and walking, suddenly a point comes when you see the snowy mountains… only snow, no human being around. That sudden turn washes off all your fatigue and rejuvenates you like nothing else can.” That is exactly what Jiva, his latest exhibition has done for him, and also for those who succeeded in catching the exhibition.

(The writer is New Delhi-based senior journalist, columnist and a commentator on art, books, market, society and more)