Modern Indian art

(1) Khujotica- Storm- Kedarnath, (2) Himadhri- The Summit, Tilottama Basu, Oil on Canvas

Location: Grey Drawing Room

Kedarnath is the remotest point of the iconic Char-Dham Yatra of the Himalayas. Kedarnath falls in the Rudraprayag district of Uttrakhand and is near the Chorabari glacier, flanked by snow capped mountains.

These gigantic snow clad mountains of the Himalayas form the focus of the art of Tilottama Basu who was born in 1916. Shades of deep brown and green highlight the vegetation which is a constant element on these mountains.

Dense clouds, painted in the shades of grey with streaks of white gleaming through, outline the proficiency of Tilottama Basu in recapitulating the entirety of a Himalayan landscape. The enormous scale stands in contrast to the dense clouds and provides a sense of calmness to the composition. With deft brushstrokes, she has carefully woven chiaroscuro, delineating these mountains in their magnificence.

Himadhri or Himagiri forms the core of all major mountain ranges of the Himalayas which is seen in the corresponding painting by Basu. Among the four parallel ranges of the Himalayas, the Greater Himalaya or Himadhri is the highest range. Other prominent peaks of this range are Mt. Everest, Nanga Parbat and Kanchenjunga.