These contemporary renditions of the Pichwai will brighten up your homes

A stylish, well-appointed space should also incorporate spectacular art. And if you are looking to incorporate art to give a character to your interiors, Bridge Bharat should be your next stop. With its exquisite collection of paintings from all over India where each brushstroke carries the weight of centuries-old narratives, and the essence of Indian artistry flourishes, it is an art connoisseur’s dream haunt.

Bridge Bharat serves as custodians of art, meticulously curating an unparalleled collection of Indian traditional and antique art forms that speak volumes of our nation's rich culture and history. They collaborate with the most eminent master artist families from across the nation, and are currently representing 18 such families across eight states.

Tracing the forms of Shyam through paintings, and silken embroideries, its latest offering is Lover’s Divine Unrest, a collection of early works of Lalita Vakil and Dinesh Soni, two master legacy artists who invite you into the fold of their vision of Bhakti Rasa.

With over three decades of experience in both practicing and imparting the art of Pichwai, Dinesh has honed his skills to a level of mastery and was honoured with the National Award in 2019. He has cultivated an intricate understanding of the Pichwai tradition through intensive research and hands-on involvement. As a dedicated full-time Pichwai artist in Bhilwara, he strives to uphold the authenticity of this ancient Indian art form and extend its knowledge to the upcoming generation of artists.

Lalita is an Indian embroidery artist from Himachal Pradesh known for her contributions to preserving and promoting Chamba Rumal. She is the first woman to introduce silk in larger pieces. As a young girl, she began learning the art of Chamba Rumal. Initially trained to create smaller, square artworks, she began experimenting with different mediums of cloth and imagery.  Later, with the encouragement of her father-in-law, she began training local girls and women of Chamba. She has received the President’s Award thrice as well as Shilp Guru Felicitation twice in 1993 and then in 2012. She was also awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2018. She has trained over a hundred women for which she was awarded Padma Shri in 2022.

Within the cascading array of Pichwai, Jain paintings, and Chamba Rumal, the Sutradhar of this Ras, the two artists have emblematically created a vision of Krishna, cradled between masculine and feminine devotion. The works mirror the artists’ dreamscape.

Aakanksha Singh, the creative director of Bridge Bharat, tells us that the Indian art market, albeit young, is one of the fastest growing in the world. “Many of our buyers are people who have invested in a piece of art for the first or second time. We focus on hand-holding these buyers, making the process less intimidating and more engaging,” she explains.

About the collections she says, “This is, by design, the kind of art we Indians resonate with deeply -- these are stories of our history, mythology, music, and literature we grew up with. Pichwai and Tanjore today are art forms that have been patronised, talked about and documented widely. This is where we have seen the power of educating a consumer. These two artworks are usually what clients come to Bridge Bharat for.”  

With such a vast variety of exquisite paintings on offer, you will certainly be tempted to take one or two of the masterpieces to adorn your home.

Priced between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 70 lakh. Available online.

 — manuvipin@newindianexpress.com