Sanat Kar’s engravings at Galerie 88

Galerie 88 presents a show of artist Sanat Kar’s engravings. The last solo of his prints was held in the city of Kolkata way back in 1994 at the gallery. His works are primarily surrealistic having a curious dream‐like appearance.

His figures exude innocence and the charm of poetry. Birth and death, the beginning and the end of the cycle of life hold endless fascination for Kar, as does the grotesque and the macabre, states an accompanying note. Grainy textural surfaces, doodled lines create their own visual magic in his work. He elaborates, "My works play on the deep, dark recesses of the human mind."

Born in Kolkata in 1935, he received his diploma in painting from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta in 1955 and played a major role in the formation of the Society of Contemporary Artists in 1960. He joined Graphics department, Kala Bhavan, Viswa Bharati in 1978 and later become the principal of that institute.

Sanat Kar began experimenting with intaglio printmaking method in the early '60s. It was a self-taught process. His experimentation and innovation in printmaking has been widely recognized. He is also credited with the innovation of cardboard intaglio. As Zinc was becoming too costly a material he began working first with wood blocks, then moved onto plywood and finally Sun‐mica and engraving on cardboard.

He successfully transposed the characteristics of works on metal plates to his wood blocks while retaining the specific facets of the surface. Besides intaglio, he has created a series of tempera paintings and bronze sculptures. Sanat Kar received AIFACS award, New Delhi in 1973 and West Bengal State Academy Award in 1993, among others. His work has featured in the Festival of India in the US, Japan, Soviet Union; British International Print Biennale, and an international print Show in Poland among other global showcases.

A Portfolio of 10 recent engravings has been released on eve of the exhibition along with his other prints.