A gripping novel, ‘Artist, Undone’ by V.Sanjay Kumar (Publishers: Hachette India; Pages: 240; Price: Rs 495), builds tantalizing human drama, using contemporary Indian art as an apt backdrop, subtly dealing with its nuances instead of indulging in a liner ‘fact finding’.
Protagonist of this arty fictional account, frizzled and frustrated Harsh Sinha decides to take a year-long break from his frenzied advertising career in Mumbai, finally abdicating his role of a weekend husband and father. While planning his sabbatical after almost eight years, he comes across a work by Natraj Sharma, ‘Fat, Fucked and Forty’ that grips him. Hooked by it, he instinctively grabs it for Rs 2.7 million. Desperate to be with his family, and also flaunt his new proud possession to his wife living with their daughter, he rushes to Chennai. But fate has something else in store for him…
His wife simply refuses to accommodate him sans any explanation. The hapless husband is now jobless and homeless, anchorless and rudderless in life. To make a living, he decides to sell the painting as a temporary solution. And that’s when things start taking strange turns, as readers discover them one by one, as they become a part of Harsh Sinha’s tryst with the world of art.
Throwing light on the ensuing drama, an introduction narrates: “Harsh Sinha – ‘Fat, F**ked and Forty’ – moved by a painting bearing this name and a compelling likeness to him, spends a large chunk of his life’s savings on it. He wants to return to his wife and daughter, to spend quality time with them. Sadly, she no longer wants him - more interested in Newton Kumaraswamy, the artist next door, whose every work is an ode to Francis Newton Souza. With no job to turn to, and no family to lean on, Harsh returns to Mumbai to let himself freefall further into the seductive world of contemporary Indian art and artists!”
In a series of subplots we come across some American students trying to gather more information about Newton Kumaraswamy impressed by his debut solo in New York, a fellow Coromandal Artists’ Village painter Gopi, and a mobile handsets dealer tracking Newton’s activities, among other characters. There is a mélange of human emotions – love and passion, incest and false morality. The narrative smartly swivels between the cities of Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi and New York, invading many other mental spaces, switching from one time warp to another – encompassing different people and places.
According to JohnyML, an interesting aspect of the novel is the inbuilt discussion on issues regarding plagiarism, adoption, influence, inspiration, co-optation and such phrases involved in the discourse of contemporary Indian art.
Protagonist of this arty fictional account, frizzled and frustrated Harsh Sinha decides to take a year-long break from his frenzied advertising career in Mumbai, finally abdicating his role of a weekend husband and father. While planning his sabbatical after almost eight years, he comes across a work by Natraj Sharma, ‘Fat, Fucked and Forty’ that grips him. Hooked by it, he instinctively grabs it for Rs 2.7 million. Desperate to be with his family, and also flaunt his new proud possession to his wife living with their daughter, he rushes to Chennai. But fate has something else in store for him…
His wife simply refuses to accommodate him sans any explanation. The hapless husband is now jobless and homeless, anchorless and rudderless in life. To make a living, he decides to sell the painting as a temporary solution. And that’s when things start taking strange turns, as readers discover them one by one, as they become a part of Harsh Sinha’s tryst with the world of art.
Throwing light on the ensuing drama, an introduction narrates: “Harsh Sinha – ‘Fat, F**ked and Forty’ – moved by a painting bearing this name and a compelling likeness to him, spends a large chunk of his life’s savings on it. He wants to return to his wife and daughter, to spend quality time with them. Sadly, she no longer wants him - more interested in Newton Kumaraswamy, the artist next door, whose every work is an ode to Francis Newton Souza. With no job to turn to, and no family to lean on, Harsh returns to Mumbai to let himself freefall further into the seductive world of contemporary Indian art and artists!”
In a series of subplots we come across some American students trying to gather more information about Newton Kumaraswamy impressed by his debut solo in New York, a fellow Coromandal Artists’ Village painter Gopi, and a mobile handsets dealer tracking Newton’s activities, among other characters. There is a mélange of human emotions – love and passion, incest and false morality. The narrative smartly swivels between the cities of Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi and New York, invading many other mental spaces, switching from one time warp to another – encompassing different people and places.
According to JohnyML, an interesting aspect of the novel is the inbuilt discussion on issues regarding plagiarism, adoption, influence, inspiration, co-optation and such phrases involved in the discourse of contemporary Indian art.
No comments:
Post a Comment