Danger Dogs from Nepal – Folk Art from the Himalayas
Chandra Chaudhury
Chandra Chaudhury works in the Bagh Bazaar section of Kathmandu. I first met Chandra on my first Danger Dog trip in June, 2007. ! He was young and cute and had loads of friends crowded about.! He also was chronically late, which is not uncommon, and his stuff had a nice folk art quality that I enjoy. His Dogs have a lot of character. ! Chandra’s proportions are all over the place, but the eyes have soul. Surya recommended him again this trip when the artists were overwhelmed with orders, so I had Chandra make some of my favorites. Chandra signs his pieces on the bottom right in a modified double C that reminds me of Chanel’s logo. ! The more naive artists (Punam, Hari Timsina, and Chandra) tend to always sign their pieces -- more so than the more realistic painters, though Chandra’s early works were signed on the reverse only. The cat (above left) is in reality a 3-legged cat. Chandra managed to make it a 2-legged cat! The mascara in the top middle portrait of the white Labrador reminds me of Lee Godey’s work. These are definitely ‘outsider’.
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