Vadehra Art Gallery is pleased to present Ram Kumar’s hitherto unseen drawings in the exhibition 'Ram Kumar: Pen & Ink Drawings, 1961 - 1963' from 26 October to 17 November, 2012 at Vadehra Art Gallery, D-40 Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024.

Curated by the Modernist Master’s close associate Prayag Shukla, the exhibition provides the crucial link between Ram Kumar’s figurative, landscape and abstraction phases. Most of the drawings included in the exhibition were executed by the artist between 1961 and 1963 – right after he went to Banaras with his friend MF Husain.

Banaras as a city stands on multiple heights and it was this sight that gave Ram Kumar a new and unusual perspective. It is also a strange city where one celebrates and mourns at the same time. The two artists – Ram Kumar and MF Husain – went to the ancient city together but brought back home different directions to their visual vocabulary.

The exhibition at Vadehra Art Gallery includes the early set of drawings Ram Kumar had made inspired by Banaras. They belong to the artist’s personal ledger, which he used to draw in instead of a sketchbook as ledgers were cheaper. The 60 never-before-seen pen and ink drawings give us an insight into the artist’s masterful use of the line in creating uncanny forms. They are starkly different from the painted landscapes that were to come later. While the painted landscapes invite contemplation, the drawings require concentration – they both hide and reveal objects, animals, places and ideas.

The exhibition also includes 17 black and white acrylic works by Ram Kumar.