Kala Chintan: K.C. Aryan Commemoration Volume: Life Long Dedication to Art

K.C. Aryan’s name needs no introduction to the realm of art the world over.
Internationally renowned as a master modern painter and sculptor, art historian, and a pioneer collector of folk and tribal arts, he was endowed by nature with exceptional talent, that is rarely to be met with. He had many firsts to his credit. Basically, he was a painter and remained one all his life. He was the first in India to introduce metal constructions and collages in 1958; for this medium, he was honored with the National Award in 1964 by the Apex Lalit Kala Academy. Le Corbusier hailed him as an artist who was 50 years ahead of his time for India. Mulk Raj Anand compared him to internationally renowned artists of New York, London and Tokyo. Apart from this, he painted and experimented in diverse mediums and idioms. He excelled in historical illustrations — this was his passion in his early life. Gradually, he outgrew this trend and turned to self expression in water colours, oil painting, and tempera. The latter technique he excelled in. In some of his later works, it does not seem that he ever outgrew any of the stylistic phases he had worked in. His illustrations of Ghalib’s poetry, his excellent copies of the Nurpur Frescoes, his later paintings in mixed media and collages prove the truth of this statement. Aryan’s interest in unexplored areas of Indian art history prompted him to write so many path-breaking books. He championed the cause of the much neglected folk/tribal art of NW India, which eventually crossed the geographical boundaries and his vast collection became pan-Indian. On the one hand, in 1948, he founded the Delhi Shilpi Chakra for Delhi artists. In 1984, he founded his museum of folk and tribal art known as Home of Folk Art. His lifelong dedication to art urged him to place on the world artistic map : Folk Bronzes of India, Folk Paintings of Northwestern India, transitional phase of paintings from traditional to modern, Wall Paintings of Punjab, single – handedly discovered and photographed by him. His creative and critical talents remained alive till the end this way. A rare genius, a rare phenomenon in the world of art.Honoured with the National Award, he was recipient of a gold medal, a silver medal, a bronze plaque and several cash prizes, and many other awards. The present volume entitled Kala Chintan is dedicated to this great visionary and his rare genius, and care has been taken to focus attention on his three main lifetime passions.