For the first time in the history of Rajasthan, as many as 43 art works of eminent artist, Padma Shri Ramgopal Vijayvargiya are on display under one roof. The occasion is the solo exhibition entitled ‘Meghdoot’ of Ramgopalji, as he was fondly called, at the ICA Art Gallery in Jaipur. Born in 1905 in Sawai Madhopur, it is worth noting that not only Ramgopalji was the first painter from the state who became a protagonist of the Bengal school but was also awarded the Padma Shri in 1984 for the first time from Rajasthan in the field of painting.
The artist made pictures on many historical texts in his life like Gita Govind, Ramayana, but his most talked about topic has been ‘Meghdoot’, which is why the exhibition is also named after the painting. The journey of painting which began in 1929 continued till he breathed his last in 2003. Along with being a great artist and dedicating his entire life to art, Ramgopalji was also an eminent poet. He often used to write two lines of poetry with his paintings and has also published a number of poetry collections.
Here is a glimpse of some his well known paintings which are on display at the show:
Meghadoot
Meghadoot is one of the masterpieces of Sanskrit literature penned by poet Kalidas in the 4th century. The poem unfolds several episodes, narrating a tale of separation and longing of lovers during the romantic monsoon season. A yaksha, exiled and sent away from his wife, requests a passing cloud to carry a message on his behalf and deliver it to his loving wife. As the Yaksha proceeds to give directions to the cloud, the focus of the poem becomes the route the cloud would take, and the sights it would encounter. Ram Gopal Vijayvargiya, fascinated by the tale, seems to have befriended the clouds and recorded this epic journey on his canvas.
Rajkumar Shrona & Shravika
In this painting, the artist portrayed the story of Shrona and Shravika. Shrona was the prince of Magadh state, who later became the disciple of Buddha and Shravika was the female disciple of Buddha.One day Buddha asked Shrona to go to Shravika’s house for lunch. On the way of going to her home, Shrona was thinking that I have sacrificed my all pleasures of palace, then how would I get the delicious cuisines which I used to eat in the palace. But when he saw that Shravika served his favourite food, he realised that she can read his mind.
From the Organizers
Telling more about the exhibition and the artist, owner of the ICA Art Gallery, Vijendra Bansal said that his father, Radha Mohan Bansal was a prominent art dealer of his time and shared a special relationship with Ramgopal Vijayvargiya. “I used to call Ramgopal Vijayvargiya ji “Bade Bauji” and whatever I am doing in the field of art today it is because of his teachings. The reason for organizing this exhibition is to give more fame to the name of “Bade Bauji” and we are fortunate to get support from his nephew, Shankar Vijayvargiya for this initiative. We are also planning to bring out a book soon on Ramgopal Vijayvargiya”, shared Bansal.
Date: 1 October – 31 October
Time: 11 am to 8 pm
Venue: ICA Art Gallery, 73/C, Shankar Nagar Extension, Mount Road, Jaipur
Tusharika Singh
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