JEHANGIR NICHOLSON ART FOUNDATION
Workshop with students from Helen Keller Institute for Deaf & Blind and Happy Home & School for the Blind
The students were first given an introduction to abstract art, and one of the best Indian abstractionists- Laxman Shreshtha. They were then given a sensory walk-through of the Laxman Shreshtha exhibit. That was followed by an activity where the visually impaired children created textured collages using the material they were given like jute, bubblewrap, wool, paper etc.
Laxman Shreshtha was born in Siraha, Nepal in 1939, and had an extensive education: The University of Bihar, Patna; the J.J. School of Art; the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, Paris; and the Central School of Art, London. In the Parisian tradition of the atélier, he also studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and with the legendary print-maker Stanley William Hayter at Atélier 17.
Shreshtha began his career as a figurative artist but gradually moved onto abstract works. Coming from an aristocratic Nepalese family and ending up a struggling art student on the brink of starvation, resulted in him embarking on a spiritual quest, which has continuously been reflected in his work. He looked for answers to his early existentialist dilemmas in books on Western philosophy. Later, he turned to the Upanishads and to Buddhism and his paintings reflect these experiences.
Shreshtha’s abstract works are greatly inspired by landscapes, and sometimes echo the mountain peaks of his native home, Nepal; the pristine white light sears through the dense opacity of colour, creating dazzling effects. His desire to capture the expanse of the Himalayas allowed him to create his large-scale world. Shreshtha’s works are both sensuous and meditative in their shifts and balances of colour. There is an intermingling of vivid blues, yellows, reds, oranges, and browns. He is greatly inspired by Jazz and classical music and listens to it while he paints.
Since the early 1960s, Shreshtha has held numerous solo exhibitions of his works, and has also been represented in major curated exhibitions, both in India and internationally. He has been the recipient of many awards, fellowships, and honours, including the French Government Scholarship, the British Council Grant, and the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD, Germany) residency.
Since the 1980s, Shreshtha has led an isolated life. He lives and works in Bombay.
