Artist catalogue project report

Self-directed project report Artist catalogue for Rita Jhunjhunwala Vidhushri Ladha Masters Book Design 2014 University of Reading

The brief for this project was self-initiated. A catalogue was put together for an Indian artist, Rita Jhunjhunwala, bringing together some of her paintings under the four themes of Lotus, Benaras, The Renunciant and Land of dunes. This project involved handling of image-heavy content and forming a narrative suitable for the artworks.

The design process for this project has been documented under the following headings — Project brief 2 Discovery 4 Transformation 13 Design and making 26

project brief Stating the brief Since this was a self-directed project, I had the liberty to choose the project of my choice and form a brief for myself.

I reflected upon the kinds of books I had worked on for the past few projects. For this one I wanted to explore a different genre of books, something that I had not researched and designed before.

The visits to various galleries and bookstores throughout this year and discussions with tutors like Fraser Muggeridge about various artists books and art catalogues, introduced me to this particular kind of books which I had not observed closely before. I found this area to be very interesting and decided to work on the same for this project. This would give me a chance to research about this genre of books and the process of designing one would make me look at the details and elements to be considered. This book would also require me to work with image-heavy content, something that I had not handled much in my previous projects.

I chose to design an art catalogue bringing together some of the paintings by Rita Jhunjhunwala, an artist based in India. I developed a brief of my own for this project which can be viewed on the opposite page.

Rita Jhunjhunwala’s painting being installed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan by the President of India, Abdul Kalam.

The artist – Rita Jhunjhunwala The chosen artist works out of New Delhi in India. I have known of her through my family circle and have visited some of her exhibitions. I approached her with the idea of putting together a collection of her work, and she was very kind to have given me this opportunity. She paints on themes like Buddha, lotus and also captures several Indian cities on her canvas. She uses a variety of mediums including acrylic, watercolours, charcoal and oil. The content also seemed interesting to me to keep me rooted to this project.

Her style The artist loves playing with colour palette. This is evident in her work that starts with endowing the canvas with a muted background colour, to which other tints and shades are added to create a special effect where different colours merge with each other. Raw umber that balances the colours and helps maintain contrasts in a painting without giving it a jarring look, is almost her insignia appearing in most of her creations. Combining reality with dreams, light with shade and staying clear of abstraction or conceptual leanings, Rita Jhunjhunwala creates art that is semi-realistic in style.

Perspective, texture and chiaroscuro continue to play an active role in her compositions in bold and measured brush strokes as in the lotus series here. That there is a lyrical touch in her paintings seems natural for the artist who has also penned poetry and finds nature fascinating.

Bold brush strokes, use of bright colours and textures, make up her style. This is one of her paintings from the lotus series.

She works with many canvases joined together.

Opposite The brief for this project

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Vidhushri Ladha Self-directed project brief MABD 2014 Title A book on an artist’s work Aims and objectives

• Research and analyse this genre of books • To create a visual structure for the given content • To have an experience with handling image-heavy content • To be able to bring out the artist’s personality and work-style through the design • Type judgments to compliment the work documented • Present her work in a way that it highlights her ideas and strengths Task and deliverables

• A narrative structure for the entire book • Complete layout for a particular section/theme • Type styles for the book • Jacket design • The introduction and ending pages • A report putting together my research and the design process Stages of the design process Discover (Week 1) The first stage would be to research this genre of books, study the market, look at the various aspects of design that are taken into consideration. Along with this I will also study the artist’s work and the content provided and start doodling ideas as I go further with the research.

Transformation(Week 2-4) Next will be exploration narrative structures and layouts for the book. Decision of the format and typefaces will be two important factors to work on.

At every stage a presentation to Ruth/Paul along with feedback from the artist will help move forward and finalise on the concept. Ideas for the Jacket design also need to be explored once the structure has been finalised.

Making (Week 5-6) Once the format, typeface, structure and layout are decided upon, the final draft would require me to design the Jacket and one complete section of the book. This stage would also include trying out different materials and analyzing what type of paper makes her paintings stand out the most. A complete specification for the book shall be put together.

Assessment criteria The way the content has been translated and adapted to the form of a book.

The way images and text have been handled individually and in relation to each other.

The overall feel of the book with the context in mind.

The design process that shall be summed up in the report.

Project brief 3

discovery Analysing the content The discovery phase began with analysing the content provided for this catalogue. The first step was to get a feel of the paintings made by the artist and observe her style.

For this book a collection of paintings were put together under four themes – Lotus, Benaras, Buddha and Rajasthan.

I observed these paintings for her style, her use of colour palette, size variations, symbolisms, similarities and differences. Grouping some of these paintings in the form of mood boards helped me to look at them together and compare.

Rajasthan This series on the city of Rajasthan is one of her earlier works as compared to the others. A combination of colourful canvases and charcoal sketches, the series captures the people, colours and beauty of this cultural city.

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Buddha These paintings are based on the life of Buddha. With serene colour palettes and soft brush strokes, this series has a calm edge to it. Painted in acrylics yet again but very different in style when compared to the others. These paintings are in larger formats.

Benaras In this series the artist brings to her canvas the ancient city of Varanasi through the medium of acrylics. Inundated with visual metaphors, her artwork in this collection appears in a tactile interplay of spaces and forms. Her meditative symphony of brush strokes endows the compositions with a serene air. This series also has a wide range of formats.

Discovery 5

Lotus Her collection of paintings for Lotus are all in acrylic with the use of silver or gold leaf in many of them. The paintings bring out beautiful textures, overlap of colours and bold brush strokes. This series has been painted in a range of formats and sizes. Squares and multiple canvas paintings are a common feature here.

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Research Major research done for this project involved analysing and observing various artist books and art catalogues. I visited the bookstores of several art galleries in London like Tate Modern and The National Gallery, along with several art bookstores. The collection of art catalogues by Fraser Muggeridge held at the department was an inspirational source as well. I researched these books for the feel, the various formats, image narrative, image composition and the content. Materials play a very important role in art catalogues – the use of coloured and patterned end papers, textured and uncoated papers to print paintings, use of different papers to separate sections and the feel of the cover.

One of the very important things that I made a note of in every book that I opened was the caption to the images and its relation with the corresponding image. The various ways in which captions can be incorporated in these catalogues is very interesting.

The purpose of this book The process of research made me question what was the purpose of this book. I had realised by now that while some catalogues are printed by galleries, some are published by the artist themselves. Several catalogues document a particular exhibition by an artist while some bring together a collection of some of the work by the artist and others put together all the works by an artist in his lifetime. Each of these catalogues is hence printed with a different purpose, though a common aim is to promote the art and the artist.

In this case, the artist wanted a catalogue that brought out her style through a collection of some of her selected works.

Since most of the paintings included in this catalogue have already been sold, the purpose is not to display what is at sale, but to promote her art and style. Hence the catalogue does not include all her paintings from each of the series but a selection of some that demonstrate her art the best.

Catalogues designed by Fraser Muggeridge in the collection of the Department at the University of Reading.

Discovery 7

Some catalogues I researched at the shops of galleries like Tate Modern and the National Gallery, in London.

Opposite Image narrative – Looking at the various ways of displaying artworks in a catalogue.

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Discovery 9

Observing the ways in which captions are treated and placed with respect to the images in various catalogues.

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Pages with text and essays.

Looking at typography within catalogues.

Discovery 11

Materials make a very important part of such a book. These images show interesting use of paper for sections and end papers.

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transformation Decisions with format One of the first decisions with designing this book was deciding on a format. The research had helped me develop an understanding of the kind of formats prevalent in the market. I noticed that certain formats were common amongst catalogues designed by Fraser as well. This exercise also made me realise what sort of a format I did not want for this book. My image of this book was one that could be held in the hand and flipped through. It should open entirely to show each painting clearly. I imagined this book as an elegant, light, easy to view catalogue. In addition to this, one of my initial decisions was to go for a portrait or a square format rather than a landscape one.

The exploration began with a few chosen formats. I then placed some of the images within the selected formats to get an idea of the way the format worked with the paintings.

Since her paintings are a mix of extreme formats including portraits, landscapes and squares, a square format was not suitable. From the portrait options I chose the one that gave me enough space to display the images and play with the white space around.

The final format which I chose to work on was 195mm by 245mm portrait.

Placing images in two chosen formats to observe the relationship between the image and the white space around.

Transformation 13

Stage 1 To begin with, I chose a few paintings from a section and flowed them through some pages to see how they interacted with each other and the spread also exploring various placements of the captions and the image on a spread.

Fisherman’s Boats-I Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas, 47” x 18”

right

Scene from the Ganges-I & II Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas, 33” x 88”

Sunset on the Ganges, Acrylic on canvas, 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

00 00

00

00

The Scholar Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas, 30” x 30”

Evening Mist Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 30” x 30”

right

Dawn on the Ganges-I & II Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas, 30” x 30”

Sunset on the Ganges, Acrylic on canvas, 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Fortune Teller, Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas, 59” x 47”

00

00

00

00

Morning Ablutions, Acrylic & Silver leaf on canvas, 30” x 30”

Piety, Acrylic & silver leaf on canvas, 12” x 48” each (Triptych)

00

These spreads are from the first explorations with layout within the chosen format.

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00

Stage 2 Taking from the feedback after stage 1, I started experimenting with placement of the image and the caption on the spread. The journey of exploring layouts began with trying out various ways of grouping and presenting the paintings.

The order, the size and the placement of the images were being explored. Since the paintings are divided into four themes, I was clear about having four sections for the book.

The task was to deal with the various sizes and colours of paintings within each section.

Fisherman’s Boats-I Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 47” x 18”

Scene from the Ganges Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 33” x 88”

Fisherman’s Boats-I 47” x 18” Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas

Scene from the Ganges Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 33” x 88”

Fisherman’s Boats-I Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 47” x 18”

Scene from the Ganges Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 33” x 88”

Margins and placement of image.

Trying asymmetrical and symmetrical approaches to the use of the spread.

Transformation 15

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Fortune Teller Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 59” x 47”

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Fortune Teller Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 59” x 47”

Fortune Teller Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 59” x 47”

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges, Acrylic on canvas, 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Fortune Teller Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 59” x 47”

Fortune Teller, Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas, 59” x 47”

Through these explorations I was observing how the placement of the caption with respect to the image affects the balance of the page.

Transformation 17

Taking the original sizes into consideration The narrative required a basis. I needed a reason for the way I was going to size and order the paintings. Paul suggested trying the purist way and looking at how the paintings interacted with each other when sized proportionally, taking into account their original sizes.

This was a difficult task as the images were so varied in sizes that I had to find the appropriate pairs that could proportionately balance out each other on a spread. I tried several permutations and combinations of these images and scaled them proportionate to their actual sizes. Some didn’t work due to clash of colour and in some one image overpowered the other due to its size. Hence it was essential to find the correct space for each image within the narrative.

I started with using these two images like shown above, unaware of the realtionship of their original sizes. However, on considering the sizes , I realised the size proportions were the opposite.

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Comparing paintings at their original sizes.

Spreads that demonstrate how the pairing of images became crucial once their proportions came into play.

Transformation 19

Exploring typefaces The major use of a typeface in this book was for the captions.

There are some text and essay pages as well, but while looking at typefaces I observed them at smaller point sizes and looked at the relations within the various weights of the typeface. I was looking for a typeface that would help me enhance the hierarchy within the caption used at a small point size. In addition this, I also planned to use the same typeface for the body of the essays as well as the headings.

I wanted the texture of the text block to be even and such that it allows the images to dominate.

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Out of the ones explored, as shown below, I liked the feel of Kepler, its italics worked really for the captions as well as the headings. Adelle Sans offered a good palette of weights and hence the hierarchy within the captions could be made more interesting. It is very clean at smaller point sizes and provides an even, light tone to a block of text. A specimen page similar to the one on the opposite page was made for Kepler Std, Adelle Sans, ITC Legacy Sans. This helped me compare them more closely according to the requirement of the project. I finally chose to work with Adelle Sans.

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych) Gill Sans Std

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych) Adelle Sans

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych) Century Gothic

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych) Joanna MT

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15˝ x 36˝each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15˝ x 36˝ each (Triptych)

Kepler Std

ITC Legacy Sans Std Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych) Swift

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych) Akzidenz - Grotesk BQ

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

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Myriad Pro

Adelle Sans Benaras

BENARAS

Benaras – to make acquaintance with it is privilege enough, to experience it viscerally is something else.

The first rays of dawn bathing the ghats with molten gold; the dusk meeting the mighty Ganges at the vermillion horizon dotted with the silhouettes of boats and barges; and in between those perennial moments, a microcosmic cauldron of overflowing sights, sounds, smells and mystical experiences. The ghats of the Ganges thronged with multitude of pilgrims, their faces lit with devotion, palms cupped in hopes of salvation; the devout and the depraved eager to find prophesy in the browned scrolls of the fortune teller ; the ancient walls of the labyrinthine lanes frescoed with legendary figures; the old temples and palaces paying homage at the sacred river’s bank and the multi-pitched temple bells giving music to the chanting of mantras – all this is an assault of incredible force on the senses. No wonder artists of all eras have tried to capture its undaunted spirit!

I too couldn’t resist. I let myself be enveloped by the city that hymns to the Gods.

Benaras – to make acquaintance with it is privilege enough, to experience it viscerally is something else. The first rays of dawn bathing the ghats with molten gold; the dusk meeting the mighty Ganges at the vermillion horizon dotted with the silhouettes of boats and barges; and in between those perennial moments, a microcosmic cauldron of overflowing sights, sounds, smells and mystical experiences. The ghats of the Ganges thronged with multitude of pilgrims, their faces lit with devotion, palms cupped in hopes of salvation; the devout and the depraved eager to find prophesy in the browned scrolls of the fortune teller ; the ancient walls of the labyrinthine lanes frescoed with legendary figures; the old temples and palaces paying homage at the sacred river’s bank and the multi-pitched temple bells giving music to the chanting of mantras – all this is an assault of incredible force on the senses. No wonder artists of all eras have tried to capture its undaunted spirit! I too couldn’t resist.

I let myself be enveloped by the city that hymns to the Gods.

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15” x 36” each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15˝ x 36˝each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15˝ x 36˝each (Triptych)

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15˝ x 36˝each (Triptych)

RITA JHUNJHUNWALA

LOTUS

Lotus

Lotus

Rita Jhunjhunwala

BENARAS

Benaras

Benaras

RAJASTHAN

Rajasthan

Rajasthan

BUDHA

Budha

Budha

FOREWARD

Foreward

Foreward

Rita Jhunjhunwala Rita Jhunjhunwala Rita Jhunjhunwala Rita Jhunjhunwala Rita Jhunjhunwala

A specimen page set-up to try different typefaces with the requirements of the project. This page shows the use of Adelle Sans.

Transformation 21

Stage 3 Now that I had decided to keep the sizes of images proportionate on each spread, I also decided to keep the placement of the images centred. The layout explorations at this stage were to do with the positioning of the captions in relation to the images and the sequencing and pairing of images.

Morning Ablutions 30 x 30

At the Ghats 15 x 36 each (Diptych)

Trying out various pairs of images proportionate to each other, along with caption detailing and placement, to find a style that suits all kinds of spreads.

Morning Ablutions

Acrylic & Silver leaf on canvas 30 x 30

And time stands still 15 x 36 each (Triptych)

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At the Ghats

Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 15 x 36 each (Diptych)

Decided to have one spread in each section where the image runs across the spread.

Exploring treatments for the captions The captions needed fine detailing to attain the desired hierarchy. There were several decisions that had to be taken apart from the placement of the captions – whether to use a difference in weight or to use italics to bring out hierarchy, the breaking of the caption into lines, various ways to show the measuring unit. I explored the relationship of each style to the placement of the images. The aim was to strike a balance in the spread.

Scene from the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 33 x 88 Scene from the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 33 x 88 Scene from the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 33 x 88

Exploring various ways of generating hierarchy within the caption, using the variants of the typeface family.

Scene from the Ganges 33 x 88 Scene from the Ganges, acrylic on canvas, 33 x 88

scene from the ganges

Scene from the Ganges 33 x 88

Acrylic on canvas 33 x 88

Scene from the Ganges 33 x 88

Scene from the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 33 x 88 Scene from the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 33’ x 88’ Scene from the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 33 x 88 in.

How important is it to mention the medium if it is repeating?

Trying out various orders of arranging the information.

Whether to mention the unit and measurement and how were two important questions to be answered.

Scene from the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 33 x 88 inches

Transformation 23

Text pages Parallel to the layout structure for the images, I was exploring the content for the remaining book as well. This included the section openers, forward, contents page, a spread about the artist, one with some reviews and a contacts page. I wanted to develop a style which could be applied to all the text pages and also match the feel of the image spreads. At every stage my explorations were based on the placement of the artwork on the image spreads.

Developing a style The process gradually led to the development of a style that I chose to apply to all the text pages. The idea was to use minimal headings and have a simple and centred single column structure for the text. The text blocks felt in harmony with the image blocks on the following spreads. A grid and structure was developed to follow throughout the book with horizontal guides for the placement of headings and dropping the text block.

Foreward

Born and brought up in Kolkata, Rita Jhunjhunwala graduated from the University there with meritorious distinction and government scholarship.

There is a marked influence of the Bengal School in her art, seems no surprise given her training and tutelage under some of the master artists of the era including Indra Dugar, Chitra Mazumdar and Bimal Dasgupta. Starting to paint at a young age Rita has continued to experiment and evolve her own style. Her artistic rendezvous has moved from doodlings in water colour, to working in oil and charcoal, and increasingly now in acrylic and mixed media.

Rita’s earlier work focused on figuration and ordinary people in narrative art that included havelis, old Calcutta buildings, ruins and desert land. Even while practising portraiture, her engagement with nature ran concurrently appearing in the landscapes that her subjects and themes inhabited.

Lonely Boy, Beauty of the Ruins, Land of the Dune, The Sunbeaten Track, Buddha – The Renunciant, Between Two Eternities; titles of some of her exhibitions are suggestive of her gradual move from figuration to nature – its splendor, tranquility and philosophy and finally she seems to have found her nemesis in the form of lotus. Nature a celestial creation with its infinite and ever changing splendor has been a perennial spring and a central theme of engagement and sustenance for much of the artist’s creative explorations, Even her earlier figurative renderings, reverberated with panchtatva as the awesome beauty and bounty of five natural elements – air, water, earth, fire and either; have continued to en-liven and underline much of her visual vocabulary.

The work including some small hand held work to paintings on large canvases that have been exhibited in various metros – Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai besides Paris, Italy and Switzerland,

Foreward

Born and brought up in Kolkata, Rita Jhunjhunwala graduated from the University there with meritorious distinction and government scholarship.

There is a marked influence of the Bengal School in her art, seems no surprise given her training and tutelage under some of the master artists of the era including Indra Dugar, Chitra Mazumdar and Bimal Dasgupta. Starting to paint at a young age Rita has continued to experiment and evolve her own style. Her artistic rendezvous has moved from doodlings in water colour, to working in oil and charcoal, and increasingly now in acrylic and mixed media.

Rita’s earlier work focused on figuration and ordinary people in narrative art that included havelis, old Calcutta buildings, ruins and desert land. Even while practising portraiture, her engagement with nature ran concurrently appearing in the landscapes that her subjects and themes inhabited.

Lonely Boy, Beauty of the Ruins, Land of the Dune, The Sunbeaten Track, Buddha – The Renunciant, Between Two Eternities; titles of some of her exhibitions are suggestive of her gradual move from figuration to nature – its splendor, tranquility and philosophy and finally she seems to have found her nemesis in the form of lotus. Nature a celestial creation with its infinite and ever changing splendor has been a perennial spring and a central theme of engagement and sustenance for much of the artist’s creative explorations, Even her earlier figurative renderings, reverberated with panchtatva as the awesome beauty and bounty of five natural elements – air, water, earth, fire and either; have continued to en-liven and underline much of her visual vocabulary.

The work including some small hand held work to paintings on large canvases that have been exhibited in various metros – Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai besides Paris, Italy and Switzerland, has been taken up by discerning collectors while it has also won her credit including the Soviet Land

Foreward Born and brought up in Kolkata, Rita Jhunjhunwala graduated from the University there with meritorious distinction and government scholarship. There is a marked influence of the Bengal School in her art, seems no surprise given her training and tutelage under some of the master artists of the era including Indra Dugar, Chitra Mazumdar and Bimal Dasgupta.

Starting to paint at a young age Rita has continued to experiment and evolve her own style. Her artistic rendezvous has moved from doodlings in water colour, to working in oil and charcoal, and increasingly now in acrylic and mixed media.

Rita’s earlier work focused on figuration and ordinary people in narrative art that included havelis, old Calcutta buildings, ruins and desert land. Even while practising portraiture, her engagement with nature ran concurrently appearing in the landscapes that her subjects and themes inhabited.

Lonely Boy, Beauty of the Ruins, Land of the Dune, The Sunbeaten Track, Buddha – The Renunciant, Between Two Eternities; titles of some of her exhibitions are suggestive of her gradual move from figuration to nature – its splendor, tranquility and philosophy and finally she seems to have found her nemesis in the form of lotus. Nature a celestial creation with its infinite and ever changing splendor has been a perennial spring and a central theme of engagement and suste-

Foreward

These spreads show some explorations of composing the foreward spread. I tried alternative grids that could be used within the format.

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Born and brought up in Kolkata, Rita Jhunjhunwala graduated from the University there with meritorious distinction and government scholarship. There is a marked influence of the Bengal School in her art, seems no surprise given her training and tutelage under some of the master artists of the era including Indra Dugar, Chitra Mazumdar and Bimal Dasgupta.

Starting to paint at a young age Rita has continued to experiment and evolve her own style. Her artistic rendezvous has moved from doodlings in water colour, to working in oil and charcoal, and increasingly now in acrylic and mixed media.

Rita’s earlier work focused on figuration and ordinary people in narrative art that included havelis, old Calcutta buildings, ruins and desert land. Even while practising portraiture, her engagement with nature ran concurrently appearing in the landscapes that her subjects and themes inhabited. Lonely Boy, Beauty of the Ruins, Land of the Dune,The Sunbeaten Track, Buddha – The Renunciant, Between Two Eternities; titles of some of her exhibitions are suggestive of her gradual move from figuration to nature – its splendor, tranquility and philosophy and finally she seems to have found her nemesis in the form of lotus. Nature a celestial creation with its infinite and ever changing splendor has been a perennial spring and a central theme of engagement and sustenance for much of the artist’s creative explorations, Even her earlier figurative renderings, reverberated with panchtatva as the awesome beauty and bounty of five natural elements – air, water, earth, fire and either; have continued to en-liven and underline much of her visual vocabulary.

The work including some small hand held work to paintings on large canvases that have been exhibited in various metros – Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai besides Paris, Italy and Switzerland, has been taken up by discerning collectors while it has also won her credit including the Soviet Land Nehru Award, 35th Grand Prix International de Peinture de Deauville, France and 8th Gran Premio Internationable Di-Pittura at Rome.

has been taken up by discerning collectors while it has also won her credit including the Soviet Land Nehru Award, 35th Grand Prix International de Peinture de Deauville, France and 8th Gran Premio Internationable Di-Pittura at Rome.

The artist loves playing with palette is evident in her work that starts with endowing the canvas with a muted background colour, to which other tints and shades are added to create a special effect where different colours merge with each other.

Raw umber that “balances the colours and helps maintain contrasts in a painting without giving it a jarring look” is almost her insignia appearing in most of her creations. Her current series is all in acrylic, a medium that she likes for its transparency and luminosity. While it helps to retain “the natural light as in the case of water colours”, it can also be applied in solid thick splashes “like oils and still retain its opaqueness”. The texturing is given a special focus and gold foil is used to highlight the compositions.

Combining reality with dreams, light with shade and staying clear of complete abstraction , Rita Jhunjhunwala creates art that is semi-realistic in style. Perspective, texture and chairoscuro continue to play an active role in her compositions in bold and measured brush strokes.

The lyrical touch in her paintings adds another perspective and a dimension of mystery to her work. Emotions, an amalgam of colours and rhythms appear as philosophical undertones that mark her art stand apart from much else in a similar ilk.

Sushma Bahl Art Curator and writer Delhi,India

Nehru Award, 35th Grand Prix International de Peinture de Deauville, France and 8th Gran Premio Internationable Di-Pittura at Rome.

The artist loves playing with palette is evident in her work that starts with endowing the canvas with a muted background colour, to which other tints and shades are added to create a special effect where different colours merge with each other. Raw umber that “balances the colours and helps maintain contrasts in a painting without giving it a jarring look” is almost her insignia appearing in most of her creations. Her current series is all in acrylic, a medium that she likes for its transparency and luminosity. While it helps to retain “the natural light as in the case of water colours”, it can also be applied in solid thick splashes “like oils and still retain its opaqueness”. The texturing is given a special focus and gold foil is used to highlight the compositions.

Combining reality with dreams, light with shade and staying clear of complete abstraction , Rita Jhunjhunwala creates art that is semi-realistic in style. Perspective, texture and chairoscuro continue to play an active role in her compositions in bold and measured brush strokes.

The lyrical touch in her paintings adds another perspective and a dimension of mystery to her work. Emotions, an amalgam of colours and rhythms appear as philosophical undertones that mark her art stand apart from much else in a similar ilk.

Sushma Bahl Art Curator and writer Delhi,India

nance for much of the artist’s creative explorations, Even her earlier figurative renderings, reverberated with panchtatva as the awesome beauty and bounty of five natural elements – air, water, earth, fire and either; have continued to en-liven and underline much of her visual vocabulary.

The work including some small hand held work to paintings on large canvases that have been exhibited in various metros – Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai besides Paris, Italy and Switzerland, has been taken up by discerning collectors while it has also won her credit including the Soviet Land Nehru Award, 35th Grand Prix International de Peinture de Deauville, France and 8th Gran Premio Internationable Di-Pittura at Rome.

The artist loves playing with palette is evident in her work that starts with endowing the canvas with a muted background colour, to which other tints and shades are added to create a special effect where different colours merge with each other. Raw umber that “balances the colours and helps maintain contrasts in a painting without giving it a jarring look” is almost her insignia appearing in most of her creations. Her current series is all in acrylic, a medium that she likes for its transparency and luminosity. While it helps to retain “the natural light as in the case of water colours”, it can also be applied in solid thick splashes “like oils and still retain its opaqueness”. The texturing is given a special focus and gold foil is used to highlight the compositions.

Combining reality with dreams, light with shade and staying clear of complete abstraction , Rita Jhunjhunwala creates art that is semi-realistic in style. Perspective, texture and chairoscuro continue to play an active role in her compositions in bold and measured brush strokes.

The lyrical touch in her paintings adds another perspective and a dimension of mystery to her work. Emotions, an amalgam of colours and rhythms appear as philosophical undertones that mark her art stand apart from much else in a similar ilk.

Sushma Bahl Art Curator and writer Delhi,India

The artist loves playing with palette is evident in her work that starts with endowing the canvas with a muted background colour, to which other tints and shades are added to create a special effect where different colours merge with each other. Raw umber that “balances the colours and helps maintain contrasts in a painting without giving it a jarring look” is almost her insignia appearing in most of her creations. Her current series is all in acrylic, a medium that she likes for its transparency and luminosity. While it helps to retain “the natural light as in the case of water colours”, it can also be applied in solid thick splashes “like oils and still retain its opaqueness”. The texturing is given a special focus and gold foil is used to highlight the compositions.

Combining reality with dreams, light with shade and staying clear of complete abstraction , Rita Jhunjhunwala creates art that is semi-realistic in style. Perspective, texture and chairoscuro continue to play an active role in her compositions in bold and measured brush strokes.

The lyrical touch in her paintings adds another perspective and a dimension of mystery to her work. Emotions, an amalgam of colours and rhythms appear as philosophical undertones that mark her art stand apart from much else in a similar ilk.

Sushma Bahl Art Curator and writer Delhi,India

Lotus An ancient Indian parable speaks of a monk who was sent to the king of a prosperous kingdom to learn renunciation. Seeing the king’s opulent palace and private chambers, the monk thought to himself: ‘Surely a king surrounded by every worldly means of comfort cannot teach me renunciation.’

During their conversation, an attendant hurried into the room and interrupted them: ‘O king, the palace and the treasury are on fire!’ The monk, terrified, hurried to save his trivial belongings. The king sat unmoved, and calmly said: ‘It is the will of the Lord; he gives, and it is he who takes away.Why should I grieve over what was never mine?

Attendants, in the best of your ability, please help the people, elephants and horses to get to safety.’

The monk paused in his tracks and prostrated himself before the king.He exclaimed: ‘Finally, I have understood!

Like a lotus flower that grows in filth but does not mingle with it, a renunciate lives in this world, but he is not of it.’

My recent paintings depict the Lotus – the beautiful, transcendent, unsoiled blossom which is a source of constant inspiration for me. The works are in mixed media, primarily acrylic – on paper and canvas.

Lotus An ancient Indian parable speaks of a monk who was sent to the king of a prosperous kingdom to learn renunciation.

Seeing the king’s opulent palace and private chambers, the monk thought to himself: ‘Surely a king surrounded by every worldly means of comfort cannot teach me renunciation.’

During their conversation, an attendant hurried into the room and interrupted them: ‘O king, the palace and the treasury are on fire!’ The monk, terrified, hurried to save his trivial belongings. The king sat unmoved, and calmly said: ‘It is the will of the Lord; he gives, and it is he who takes away.

Why should I grieve over what was never mine? Attendants, in the best of your ability, please help the people, elephants and horses to get to safety.’

The monk paused in his tracks and prostrated himself before the king.He exclaimed: ‘Finally, I have understood! Like a lotus flower that grows in filth but does not mingle with it, a renunciate lives in this world, but he is not of it.’

My recent paintings depict the Lotus – the beautiful, transcendent, unsoiled blossom which is a source of constant inspiration for me. The works are in mixed media, primarily acrylic – on paper and canvas.

Lotus

An ancient Indian parable speaks of a monk who was sent to the king of a prosperous kingdom to learn renunciation. Seeing the king’s opulent palace and private chambers, the monk thought to himself:‘Surely a king surrounded by every worldly means of comfort cannot teach me renunciation.’

During their conversation, an attendant hurried into the room and interrupted them: ‘O king, the palace and the treasury are on fire!’ The monk, terrified, hurried to save his trivial belongings. The king sat unmoved, and calmly said: ‘It is the will of the Lord; he gives, and it is he who takes away.

Why should I grieve over what was never mine?

Attendants, in the best of your ability, please help the people, elephants and horses to get to safety.’

The monk paused in his tracks and prostrated himself before the king.He exclaimed: ‘Finally, I have understood! Like a lotus flower that grows in filth but does not mingle with it, a renunciate lives in this world, but he is not of it.’

My recent paintings depict the Lotus – the beautiful, transcendent, unsoiled blossom which is a source of constant inspiration for me. The works are in mixed media, primarily acrylic – on paper and canvas.

Benaras

The Quotidian Life II 51 x 36 (Diptych)

Benaras - to make acquaintance with it is privilege enough, to experience it viscerally is something else.

Thefirst rays of dawn bathing the ghats with molten gold; the dusk meeting the mighty Ganges at the vermillion horizon dotted with the silhouettes of boats and barges; and in between those perennial moments, a microcosmic cauldron of overflowing sights, sounds, smells and mystical experiences. The ghats of the Ganges thronged with multitude of pilgrims, their faces lit with devotion, palms cupped in hopes of salvation; the devout and the depraved eager to find prophesy in the browned scrolls of the fortune teller ; the ancient walls of the labyrinthine lanes frescoed with legendary figures; the old temples and palaces paying homage at the sacred river’s bank and the multi-pitched temple bells giving music to the chanting of mantras – all this is an assault of incredible force on the senses. No wonder artists of all eras have tried to capture its undaunted spirit !I too couldn’t resist. I let myself be enveloped by the city that hymns to the Gods.

Benaras

Benaras - to make acquaintance with it is privilege enough, to experience it viscerally is something else. Thefirst rays of dawn bathing the ghats with molten gold; the dusk meeting the mighty Ganges at the vermillion horizon dotted with the silhouettes of boats and barges; and in between those perennial moments, a microcosmic cauldron of overflowing sights, sounds, smells and mystical experiences. The ghats of the Ganges thronged with multitude of pilgrims, their faces lit with devotion, palms cupped in hopes of salvation; the devout and the depraved eager to find prophesy in the browned scrolls of the fortune teller ; the ancient walls of the labyrinthine lanes frescoed with legendary figures; the old temples and palaces paying homage at the sacred river’s bank and the multi-pitched temple bells giving music to the chanting of mantras – all this is an assault of incredible force on the senses. No wonder artists of all eras have tried to capture its undaunted spirit !I too couldn’t resist. I let myself be enveloped by the city that hymns to the Gods.

Section openers This book has four main sections which include the four series of paintings. The section openers have a very important role in visually binding the book together and helping in navigation as well. While each section opener has a passgae of text on theme written by the artist, I also wanted to use full bleed images of her paintings to mark the starting of each section. These spreads show some of the explorations in terms of the placement of these two elements.

Transformation 25

design & making 195mm

Foreward

Born and brought up in Kolkata, Rita Jhunjhunwala graduated from the University there with meritorious distinction and government scholarship. There is a marked influence of the Bengal School in her art, seems no surprise given her training and tutelage under some of the master artists of the era including Indra Dugar, Chitra Mazumdar and Bimal Dasgupta. Starting to paint at a young age Rita has continued to experiment and evolve her own style. Her artistic rendezvous has moved from doodlings in water colour, to working in oil and charcoal, and increasingly now in acrylic and mixed media.

Rita’s earlier work focused on figuration and ordinary people in narrative art that included havelis, old Calcutta buildings, ruins and desert land. Even while practising portraiture, her engagement with nature ran concurrently appearing in the landscapes that her subjects and themes inhabited. Lonely Boy, Beauty of the Ruins, Land of the Dune, The Sunbeaten Track, Buddha – The Renunciant, Between Two Eternities; titles of some of her exhibitions are suggestive of her gradual move from figuration to nature – its splendor, tranquility and philosophy and finally she seems to have found her nemesis in the form of lotus. Nature a celestial creation with its infinite and ever changing splendor has been a perennial spring and a central theme of engagement and sustenance for much of the artist’s creative explorations, Even her earlier figurative renderings, reverberated with panchtatva as the awesome beauty and bounty of five natural elements – air, water, earth, fire and either; have continued to en-liven and underline much of her visual vocabulary.

The work including some small hand held work to paintings on large canvases that have been exhibited in various metros – Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai besides Paris, Italy and Switzerland, has been taken up by discerning collec-

245mm

6

Template for text spreads The text spreads have a simple underlying grid that is followed throughout. The width and placement of the textbox remains the same on every page. Minimal headings have been used in bold.

26 Self-directed project / Artist catalogue

195mm Margins: 25mm all sides

tors while it has also won her credit including the Soviet Land Nehru Award, 35th Grand Prix International de Peinture de Deauville, France and 8th Gran Premio Internationable Di-Pittura at Rome.

The artist loves playing with palette is evident in her work that starts with endowing the canvas with a muted background colour, to which other tints and shades are added to create a special effect where different colours merge with each other. Raw umber that ‘balances the colours and helps maintain contrasts in a painting without giving it a jarring look’ is almost her insignia appearing in most of her creations. Her current series is all in acrylic, a medium that she likes for its transparency and luminosity. While it helps to retain ‘the natural light as in the case of water colours’, it can also be applied in solid thick splashes ‘like oils and still retain its opaqueness’. The texturing is given a special focus and gold foil is used to highlight the compositions.

Combining reality with dreams, light with shade and staying clear of complete abstraction , Rita Jhunjhunwala creates art that is semi-realistic in style. Perspective, texture and chairoscuro continue to play an active role in her compositions in bold and measured brush strokes.

The lyrical touch in her paintings adds another perspective and a dimension of mystery to her work. Emotions, an amalgam of colours and rhythms appear as philosophical undertones that mark her art stand apart from much else in a similar ilk.

This horizontal guide is used to drop the text box throughout the book

A five column grid is used for all text pages with the text block covering three columns in the center

Sushma Bahl Art curator and writer New Delhi, India

7

Template shown at 70 percent

Design and making 27

The size of the image remains constant for all section openers. It is dropped from the same guide

The caption for the image is placed centred below. The style for the caption is the same as the image spreads

The Quotidian Life II Acrylic & silver leaf on canvas 51 x 36 (Diptych)

Template for section openers This is a typical section opener. This spread follows a spread of a full bleed image that marks the starting of each section.

The underlying grid remains the same as the other text pages. However, there are certain details which differ.

28  Self-directed project / Artist catalogue

The title of the section in Adelle Sans, 9pt, bold Colour picked from the image on the opposite page Placement same as all text pages

Benaras

Benaras – to make acquaintance with it is privilege enough, to experience it viscerally is something else. The first rays of dawn bathing the ghats with molten gold; the dusk meeting the mighty Ganges at the vermillion horizon dotted with the silhouettes of boats and barges; and in between those perennial moments, a microcosmic cauldron of overflowing sights, sounds, smells and mystical experiences.

The same guide used to drop textbox as the text pages

The ghats of the Ganges thronged with multitude of pilgrims, their faces lit with devotion, palms cupped in hopes of salvation; the devout and the depraved eager to find prophesy in the browned scrolls of the fortune teller; the ancient walls of the labyrinthine lanes frescoed with legendary figures; the old temples and palaces paying homage at the sacred river’s bank and the multi-pitched temple bells giving music to the chanting of mantras – all this is an assault of incredible force on the senses. No wonder artists of all eras have tried to capture its undaunted spirit!

Single line space used to denote new paragraph

I too couldn’t resist. I let myself be enveloped by the city that hymns to the Gods.

29

The folio to be present only on the page with the text

Template shown at 70 percent

Design and making 29

The top and bottom margins remain constant on all image spreads, the outer and inner margins vary depending on the sizes of the images

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15 x 36 inches each (triptych)

Template for image spreads The image spreads follow a flixible grid. The top and bottom margins are fixed. However, according to the requirement of the spread, the sizes and colours of the images, the outer and inner margins vary. The captions at the bottom provide balance to the page.The spreads do not have folios.

30  Self-directed project / Artist catalogue

All images are placed from the top margin

Fortune teller Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 59 x 47 inches

The captions are centred and based on the bottom margin

Template shown at 70 percent

Design and making  31

Page plan of one section

Benaras

Benaras – to make acquaintance with it is privilege enough, to experience it viscerally is something else. The first rays of dawn bathing the ghats with molten gold; the dusk meeting the mighty Ganges at the vermillion horizon dotted with the silhouettes of boats and barges; and in between those perennial moments, a microcosmic cauldron of overflowing sights, sounds, smells and mystical experiences.

The Quotidian Life II Acrylic & silver leaf on canvas 51 x 36 inches (diptych)

The ghats of the Ganges thronged with multitude of pilgrims, their faces lit with devotion, palms cupped in hopes of salvation; the devout and the depraved eager to find prophesy in the browned scrolls of the fortune teller; the ancient walls of the labyrinthine lanes frescoed with legendary figures; the old temples and palaces paying homage at the sacred river’s bank and the multi-pitched temple bells giving music to the chanting of mantras – all this is an assault of incredible force on the senses. No wonder artists of all eras have tried to capture its undaunted spirit!

I too couldn’t resist. I let myself be enveloped by the city that hymns to the Gods.

Sunset on the Ganges Acrylic on canvas 15 x 36 inches each (triptych)

29

Piety Acrylic & silver leaf on canvas 12 x 48 inches each (triptych)

Surrender Acrylic on canvas 59 x 47 inches

Scene from the Ganges II Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 33 x 88 inches

Adoration of the Gods Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 72 x 72 inches

32 Self-directed project / Artist catalogue

And time stands still Acrylic on canvas 85 x 22 inches

Morning ablutions Acrylic & silver leaf on canvas 30 x 30 inches

Fortune teller Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 59 x 47 inches

Dawn on the Ganges I Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 30 x 30 inches

Dawn on the Ganges II Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 30 x 30 inches

At the ghats Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 15 x 36 inches each (diptych)

The scholar Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 30 x 30 inches

Evening mist Acrylic & gold leaf on canvas 30 x 30 inches

Design and making  33

Cover design The textures and brush strokes used by the artist in her paintings inspired me to highlight these in the cover. Several ideas of using textured paper, or brush strokes on canvas, or a part of one of her paintings, crossed my mind. I decided to try and use a section of one of her paintings that show textures and make a neutral cover. The cover was printed on a textured stock and stuck onto a board, and the title of the book is to be foil blocked in colour on it.

34  Self-directed project / Artist catalogue

The title of the book is foil- stamped in the selected colour on the cover.

Rita Jhunjhunwala Collected works

Cover shown at 70 percent

Design and making  35

Deciding the colour for the endpapers.

Checking the impostion and the sections before the final prints.

36  Self-directed project / Artist catalogue

Looking at examples of open spine and section sewn binding.

Materials The paper plays a very important role in an art catalogue.

Since this is an image-heavy book and the artworks are the most important part of the content, it is essential to choose a paper that can bring out the vibrant colours and highlight the brush strokes in the paintings. I was looking at using a paper that has some amount of texture and gives a rough feel like a canvas. Since most of her paintings are acrylic on canvas, I believed the texture of the paper would add to the look of the paintings.

I took test prints on a range of different papers – the colorplan range, Munken Lynx Rough, Olin Natural White and some rough and textured papers from Shepherds. It was important that the colour comes right, I was also choosing what kind of white would make a better background for the images, Also some of the texture was too heavy and interefered with the smooth printing of the artworks.

Various paper samples tried out for colour and print quality on texture

Design and making  37

Binding The binding for this book has been an amazing experience.

I wanted it to be an open spine binding and I wanted the binding to give the book a special feel. I looked at some examples of open-spine binding online and decided to try one myself. This book is section sewn and then bound between two boards, leaving the spine open. The cover and back are stuck to these boards.

Specification Trim size: 195mm H x 245mm W Number of Pages: 80 Paper: Olin regular high white 120gsm Cover: Colourplan Buckram 120gsm on board Binding: Section sewn, open spine, with hard cover Printing: Four colour litho

38  Self-directed project / Artist catalogue

Conclusion Completely new to the world of artist books and art catalogues, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of research and designing a complete catalogue. This is the only book I have worked on this year, which has minimal text. The narrative of the catalogue is formed out of the paintings. The difficulties and challenged faced in this journey have made me realise that there are so many details that need to be looked into in a catalogue that appears to be simple. I spent a lot of time handling the images provided by the artist. The task was to come up with a system of displaying these throughout the book in a way that each one of them retains their appearance and effect. Though my first idea was to play with these paintings in terms of their sizes and make a bold catalogue with lots of space-play, however as I progressed I realised that I was handling images which were someone’s

work and needed to be displayed in a particular fashion and order. Along with the images, the titles took some time to put together as well. Firstly, the placement and treatment of the titles to the paintings and secondly making sure that each painting has the right title were two tasks that took up major part of the making process. Paper plays a very important role in a book like this and I have thoroughly enjoyed observing how these paintings print on papers of different textures.

I imagined the paper to have a canvas texture to it. But when I printed on heavily textured stock I observed that the smoothness and colour of the paintings was compromised.

Many discoveries like this makes this project one that I look upon as a journey of vigorous learning. Though this was a self-directed project, the fact that I was designing the book for someone, and it is going to be published, kept me on my toes, just like the professional assignment.

Design and making  39