Page 116 - Eye of the beholder

worked at a a a a a a a a a rapid pace in order to capture the the the essence of the the the landscape or or or the the the characteristics in in in in portraits About Langhammer’s portrait portrait painting style Pegge Hlavacek says in in in in her memoirs “Walter exerted all his powers to get a a a a a a a subject’s whole face down on canvas at the very first sitting The rest of the posing was simply to enhance trim daub and finish up background work on on shoulders or or or hair or or or an arm” The stunning effect in in in in his paintings was consequent to an an engagement with a a a a a a palette of primary colours working on it it resulting in in in subtle nuances of of tints and shades which became the hallmark of of his style Langhammer’s compositional structuring did not mandate him to make preliminary sketches or or drawings working directly on on paper or canvas This approach and process established the artist’s acute perceptions and internalizations of memorable vivid experiences that he he he was able able to bring forth when he he he confronted the the tabula rasa of the the support The oil painting in in in in the the Sadhu’s collection is that of the the “Houseboats on on Dal Lake” marking Langhammer and and Kathe travels to Shimla and and Kashmir Indeed an an an an impressionist work in the the manner of the rough and sweeping rapid broad brush strokes The paint has been applied directly on the the canvas in in in layers of thick impasto The artist has clearly executed the the painting alla prima on the the site capturing the the scene as he he he he experienced and witnessed it it it The painting has the the dominant hue of of of green with touches of of of blue to to increase the the intensity of of of light The work has an an emphatic Cezannesque character of ‘flat depth’ having engaged with colours that were both warm and cool apparently producing effects of of depth as as well as as of of flatness When seen at at a a a a a a glance the the the the beauty of the the the the picture and the the the the masterly composition is clearly impressive with the the the the thick impasto of the the color applied to to the the canvas creating an an an an ambient tranquility and sunshine Langhammer was commissioned by the the Tata’s to do a a a a a a a a series of art works for the the Jamshedpur steel plant in fin in in the the late 1940s This was definitely among the the pioneering series of industrial artworks commissioned in in any era Langhammer stayed put in in Jamshedpur for about three months to complete these works Illustrative in nature they reflect a a a high order of execution The impressionistic style of painting which leans on on bold strokes while eschewing fine details also lends to this series an an aura of nostalgia Walter Langhammer died in 1977 20 years after he left India SELECT REFERENCE
Yashodhara Dalmia The The Making of Modern Indian Art: The The Progressives New Delhi: Oxford University Press 2001 https://www saffronart com/auctions/PostWork aspx?l=31141
110