Drawings by Krishen Khanna September 30, 2008

Cymroza Art Gallery presents an exhibition of drawings - "The Savage Heart' by Krishen Khanna. Powerful, determined and effortless are the strokes that burst forth from the pencil of a master, who knows exactly how to express his mind and heart on paper.For a young impressionable mind, it was no easy task to comprehend the inescapable sordid happenings witnessed at the time of the Partition. His works have been skillfully executed from an almost photographically captured memory, bringing to life his journey through time. The scenes he witnessed, over sixty years ago, have remained with him and are replayed through the drawings in this exhibition.Migration with the bare necessities; over-laden horse carriages, forty-winks caught hiding in a farmers field; last good-byes and a poor man's solace, through music, are the powerful grey narratives of Khanna's graphite drawings. His masterly executed drawings give the mundane everyday and tragic observations their due place - be it the scribe looking for his ancestors or the Bandwalla series. There exists a strong bond between the artist and his subjects, both on a quest to solve the mysterious question of existence. The vital importance of India's working class is recorded in great detail.