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Drawing the line is the oldest form of visual artistic expression known to man, from pre-historic cave drawings onwards. Every culture in the world, across continents and time-frames, has a rich store of traditional art which is drawing-based.
The ‘power of the line’ to enclose or open up space, create or suggest form, is almost infinite. And the artist uses drawing in an infinite number of ways. Some might draw as practice, to strengthen or develop technique, to keep private visual notes, as experimental and exploratory exercises; others make a drawing as a finished work in its own right. Rini Dhumal does all of the above. One only has to look through her sketchbooks to see this.
Piles of sketchbooks yield a forest of pages covered with drawings that cross years and continents. There is history here, and geography, nature and culture. Drawing upon a storehouse of historical details, the splendours of her childhood, and anecdotal references from various travels, she creates a vivid aesthetic in her art-making.
About the Authors
Ina Puri is an author, columnist, curator and documentarian. Her books include In Black and White, a definitive biography of the painter Manjit Bawa, and Journey with a Hundred Strings, the memoir of santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma.
Padmashree Anjolie Ela Menon is among India’s leading contemporary artists, and has created a name for herself in the domestic as well as international art scene. Her works in oil and mixed media are a part of significant museum, private and corporate collections across the globe and she has done several murals in public spaces.
Anjum Katyal is a writer, editor and translator who has been Chief Editor, Seagull Books, Calcutta. A published poet, she also sings the blues and writes on theatre and the visual arts, and is currently Co-Director, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival.
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