User talk:Dr.Lal Ratnakar Yadav

Paintings of Dr.Lal Ratnakar

Dr Lal Ratnakar, born on August 12 ,1957 in a remote village of Jaunpur , Uttar Pradesh, has arrived on the art stage after much struggle. There was tremendous resistance from his family during his early days; since the elders of his family were physicians, and they wanted him to continue the family traditions. Dr. Ratnakar completed his Ph.D work on Folk Art Of Eastern Uttar Pradesh under the able guidance of Prof. Anand Krishna from B.H.U. Varanasi. Since then he had worked on to bring out the beauty and pain of Indian women folk, belonging to the different parts of the country, onto the canvas, through some revolutionary colour schemes and realistic compositions. One can notice a hue of earthy tones all over his canvas. One can also observe that in his paintings, he had given more preference to women and their struggle with life. He is of the opinion that the expressive power of women is much greater than that of men and specifically among village women, it is distinctly noticeable. Most of his works are melancholic, representing the general mood of rural women burdened by strictures imposed on them by the predominantly male chauvinistic society. As mentioned earlier his compositions are realistic with strong emotional undercurrents. One can liken his images to that of the characters in the stories of Munshi Premchand, who also chose the province of Poorvanchal as the centre stage of his creations (short stories and novels). On observing his paintings one can feel the emotions of the subjects portrayed in his works. Emotions as varied as anger, lust, insecurities, shame, sadness, love, hate, etc. Some of his works are so comprehensive that he had assigned different emotions to each of his subjects within a single frame. In one of his paintings he had filled silent moans of a bride, who is about to leave her parental home to a distant place where her in-laws reside, never to come back for good, not sure of what lies in store for her in days to come. The bride  is going through a feeling of excitement as well as fear, It seems Ratnakar, like a spirit, has entered into the subject and read the feelings, himself. Apart from sighs and cries of individual subjects Dr. Ratnakar had also dealt with the politics of the area under his study. He had given form to some political elements like cast supremacy and exploitation of the weak. At certain points he had criticised the clergy and at some places he had applauded the good works of the torch bearers of Indian culture. His language though looks simple, has many layers to it, one can appreciate it only by observing his work.

Dr. Ratnakar has also given his due to the society in general, and to the artist community in particular. He had been associated with Kaladham, a centre of art that came up at Kavi Nagar Ghaziabad. This is one of the best things to have happened in this part of NCR. Kaladham has an art gallery and an open-air theatre in a big compound, this is perfect space for art connoisseurs as they get opportunities to see the work of various artist as many exhibitions and workshops are organized here quite frequently. Dr. Ratnakar had painstakingly pursued the dream, was instrumental in arranging the funds and convincing the political leadership of Uttar Pradesh about the need of Kaladham. It was his stature as an artist that ultimately, led the leadership to consider his worthy proposal. With artists abounding in numbers, standing out among the crowd is a major challenge. Some get the right hit, managing virtue of their talent and sheer originality. Dr. Lal Ratnakar undoubtedly belongs to this category. Dr. Ratnakar is an experimenter in his field. He had evolved his own bold style of expression which stands out among the crowd. His works hold a place of prominence in the artistic world. Ratnakar vividly portrays their everyday afflictions in wonderful colour combinations. Art lovers, Critics and Art Collectors have appreciated his work and it had found place in their hearts and homes. He had come a long way and he is bound to go much further. He is presently working as Reader in Department of Drawing & Painting MMH College Ghaziabad (CCS university Meerut)

In view of the media

THE TIMES OF INDIA March 15,2007, New Delhi Pastoral Panorama, Glimpses of rural India come alive on the canvas of Dr. Lal Ratnakar Nilakshi Bhattacharyya He has greatly been influenced by the works of Munshi Premchand. And just like the great litterateur ,he looks at rural India while choosing the subject of his paintings. “I draw inspiration from the peasant folk of the areas in and around Banaras, which, I feel, has not been portrayed as widely as rural Rajasthan. I try to capture the fighting spirit of these people who, despite facing so many hardships in life, do not lose their jest for life,” reveals Dr. Lal Ratnakar, a painter based in Rajnagar, Ghaziabad. A native of Jaunpur, his first exposure to the world of art came in the form of wall paintings done by the women folk in his village. “Actually I also started with that. I used to draw flowers, animals and birds on the walls of our house with charcoals .” reminisces the artist, who was clear right from childhood that he would become an artist when he grew up. “I got full support from my family. Eventually I did masters in drawing and painting from Kanpur University, ”he says. But it was during his research for his doctorate under Prof. Anand Krishan in Banaras University that he got a direction to give vent to his creativity. “The whole atmosphere in his house was very art-oriented. It was here that I first got the chance to understand art in its true sense. And this is something for which I will always be indebted to Prof. Krishan. It is very important for an artist to understand his true calling. I feel this more nowadays when I see many aspiring artists work without actually knowing the meaning of art,” reveals Ratnakar, who has participated in many exhibitions in the country. At present Ratnakar is associated with Kaladham, a centre of art that came up at Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad. “This is one of the best things to have happened in this part of NCR. Kaladham has an art gallery and an open air theatre in a big compound. This is the perfect space for art connoisseurs as they get opportunities to see the work of various artists as many exhibitions and workshops are organized here quite frequently. Next in the offing is a 10-day workshop from April 4. Fifteen artists from all over the country will come together to share their work.” says Ratnakar who is the convenor of the programme. Presently he is attached with MMH College, CCS University, Meerut, as a faculty member of Fine Arts.

Hindustan Times New Delhi, Friday, January 23,2004, A firm believer in woman power Aparna Singh Gupta As a 16-years old, his favorite pastime was to paint mud – houses of his neighbours with multi-colored motifs. Born and brought-up in Jaunpur district near Banaras, he made different shapes by filling mud in utensils in his kitchen. Being a painter was considered a taboo for Dr. Lal Ratnakar, born in the family of homeopathic doctors. Proficient in rural motifs, Ratnakar is a painter whose art forms take inspiration from folklores. While colours and nature attracted him, it was mandatory for him to take up science. Lal got his first break when a family friend was contesting local elections. “His symbol was a horse I tore my school copies to create the symbol. While my parents fumed at what I had done, my work of art was used as his symbol finally and that was a turning point my life” he says. While Lal had to clear his class 12 exam in the science stream, he started working as a political cartoonist at 16. As he was struggling through his studies, Lal finally decided to leave everything and get admission in Banaras Hindu University, where he did his Ph.D in western U.P. Life changed from then on, visiting interior U.P. Studying the meaning of each symbol created by folk artist was a task in itself. “I visited places like Azamgarh, Jaunpur and Mirzapur. It was a very new experience to learn about wood and stone carvings. It was a true form of art and opened totally new avenues for me,” he says. Lal is a figurative artist and has over 1000 paintings to his credit. The dominating power of his work remains women in these small villages. “Expressive power of women are much greater then that of men. And village women are comparable to men in the true sense ,”he says. From a small village boy who experimented with ‘geru’ haldi and rice powder, to an important member of the Lalit Kala Academy, Lal surely has created works with a difference which is amply revealed in his works.

THE ECONOMIC TIMES KOLKATA SUNDAY 16 September.2001, Rupa Rai Chaudhari The Birla Academy of Art and Culture is having an exhibition of works by Dr. Lal Ratnakar till September 16. Dr. Ratnakar is from Jaunpur, a village in Uttar Pradesh. His work is strongly realistic and convincing because of it. His aim is to preserve the linear form of the traditional art. In terms of colours, Ratnakar is happiest with yellow , shades of brown and deep red. His show is very appropriately called Mati Ke Rang. Ratnakr’s works are scenes from life in Jaunpur village. Women sitting indoors, their cattle grazing outside,as in Mulakat, or an old man resting with his hookah while a woman tends to the cattle, as in Vishram. Everywhere, the scenes tell a story. Amanat shows the village woman as a custodian of wealth/property and stresses on her qualities of patience and dependability. The woman, her face covered, merely holds a sheet of paper, as if giving it away. In Mashwara III the wide, angry eyes of the man admonish the innocent woman sitting opposite him. Judai, a work done in deep, rich colours, shows a married woman who will now be separated from her kin. Vishram II shows a couple talking ,the woman cradling her child. It’s done almost entirely in ochre and deep red. The dramatic element in Ratnakar’s works is as strong as his realism. Vishram II is a fine, graceful work. Intajar is even more so. Perhaps the most spontaneous and “inspired” work in these show is Andhi, done on the stormy, dark afternoon of September 10. While it poured, Ratnakar was sitting inside his car, his fingers “restless, fidgeting with creativity,” says his colleague. He had a canvas in the car, and Andhi was created. A powerful, fine work.

THE PIONEER, New Delhi, Friday June 22,2001 Earth colours his palette Lal Ratnakar talks to Rajeev R Roy about his vibrant talking canvas that vividly captures stories on rural ethos with a fine understanding of the syntax With artists abounding in numbers, standing out from the crowd is a major challenge.Some get the right hit, managing virtue of their talent and sheer originality. Dr. Lal Ratnakar undoubtedly belongs to this category. His paintings are a poignant reflection of the multifarious—and very often neglected—facets of rural life. Ratnakar’s canvases depict day-to-day concerns of rural men and women. These are the figures which hold a place of prominence in his artistic world. Ratnakar vividly portrays their everyday afflictions in wonderful colour combinations. It’s all here-the grass, the widows, whose men are a thousand miles away in distant lands. The eagerly awaited letters and discussion over their contents are repeated between family members and friends. The village woman suffers, lonely in the privacy of her  embroidered ghunghat. The artist also offers a glimpse of the rural men’s life, with depiction of them relaxing under a peepal tree after a hard day’s work in the fields. Palaver in the shade appears their only source of release. The artist brushes all these realities into place with earthy, dark, rich colours and bold, yet flexible lines. His panels come alive with women, men, somnolent cattle, pots and a countryside landscape. It all seems like a trance creation from one of Munshi Premchand’s short stories. Some of Dr. Ratnakar’s works resemble murals, with their images of peasants in revolt against social injustice or village women gathering in large numbers to brood over important problems. About his preference for rural episodes, Dr. Ratnakar says, “I am rooted in rural India. It’s the only real India I know. The rest is superficial and transient. And I say this despite my veing an urban dweller whose life mostly revolves around urban people and city culture.” One of the reasons for tackling earthy subjects stems from Ratnakar’s love and regard for the people whom he views as down-to-earth. “They do not hide their feelings and their problems are real as against the psychological ones urbanites tend to develop.” In fact, his subjects are people in distress who seldom fit into the scheme of modern artists. Dr. Ratnakar’s love for paintings has scarcely wavered, despite various ups and downs in his artistic life. “Artists were meant to be suffering. One suffers the most when he paints people no one is concerned about,” argues the artist. Whatever success he has achieved to date, he attributes to artists like Maqbool Ansari of Kanpur University and Prof. Anand Krishna of Banaras Hindu University. “They are still my source of inspiration and encouragement,” he admits. Ratnakar was born in August 1957 at Jaunpur, eastern Uttar Pradesh. As a schoolboy, he would often observe the variety of figures and lines drawn on mud walls by village men and women. But it never crossed his mind he might be an artist one day. His father wanted him to be a doctor. Though he’s got the “Dr” appendage to his name now after research studies, painting is where his heart is. “In the beginning, I found myself at a loss seeing village womenfolk waste precious time in useless pursuits like drawing lines on the walls that resembled Hindu gods and goddesses, animals and birds. But I gradually came to understand and appreciate the artistic nature of these activities. I also felt the urge to highlight their significance through my own paintings,” recalls Dr.Ratnakar. He adds, “Their poverty is reflected in brilliant works of art drawn in a haphazard manner.” One art critic says of him, “Dr.Ratnakar is by and large a painter of folk life. And since he belongs to a rural background himself, he has been able to capture moments of rural life we are hardly able to recognize.” Rajeev R Roy ..

Dr.Lal Ratnakar,artist Studio & Residence:R-24, Raj Kunj, Raj Nagar,Ghaziabad-201 002, Uttar Pradesh, India, E-mail-artistratnakar@gmail.com,www.ratnakarsart.com