Krishen Khanna: Larger Than Life

The Bandwalla’s as sculptures become monumental explorations that take us back to Krishen Khanna’s beloved subjects. He gave them names, and created a discourse around their occupation. His sensitivity is seen in the manner in which he painted their poise and posture and love for their musical instruments. In these sculptures he gives us a love for music, something he partook of during his days in Madras as well as his love for music.

These Bandwalla’s bring back memories. Krishen once narrated how while driving out of his Delhi studio, the path was blocked by the marching band of a wedding procession and how he came to paint the first Bandwalla portraits. The images of these musicians dressed all in scarlet or in white or in bronze tones in fiber resin with their big brass instruments wrapped around them remain as powerful for the artist today as it was that day in Delhi.

The Bandwalla’s became a recurrent theme in Krishen Khanna’s oeuvre. Here we become spectators of the show.