Foreword
My long friendship with Rini Dhumal has been very important for me in terms of my own creative practice. As an artist Rini possesses so many qualities that I sorely lack, and has therefore, unbeknownst to her, been a sort of alter ego for me. I envy and admire her rootedness, her ability to draw, her immense sympathy for her students as a brilliant pedagogue, and the way she virtually embodies the lost spirit of Santiniketan in her persona. Our journeys across the world together have been richly rewarding as Rini brings to each experience an almost child-like curiosity, always sketching feverishly, absorbing every visual detail which is later subsumed in her own inimitable style as grist for her ongoing paintings. Not only is she one of the foremost Indian graphic artists, but, Rini’s vibrant paintings in oils and acrylic, full of indigenous references and brilliant colour, demonstrate how multifaceted her talents and achievements are. This is yet another volume, a collector’s piece, which is a testament to the artist and to the woman.
Anjolie Ela Menon New Delhi September 2014
The Prayer Mixed media on Chinese gold board 38 x 38 cm 2014
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