The Durbar Art Gallery in Kochi currently hosts a profound artistic journey spanning half a century. “Cities: Built, Broken – 50 Years of Picturing Life in the City,” a retrospective of renowned artist Sudhir Patwardhan’s work, offers visitors an intimate glimpse into both the evolution of an artist and the transformation of urban India itself.
Patwardhan’s artistic odyssey began in his twenties, when the radiologist-turned-painter first trained his compassionate lens on city life. Now in his seventies, he stands as one of India’s most celebrated contemporary artists, his reputation built upon decades of documenting the urban experience with unflinching honesty and deep empathy.
The exhibition, thoughtfully curated by art historian R. Sivakumar, presents more than just a collection of paintings—it reveals the internal evolution of an artist grappling with his role as witness and interpreter of social change. Sivakumar notes a fascinating transformation in Patwardhan’s approach over the decades. “In his earlier works from the ‘70s, you can see the influence of Marx, in how he was interested in the city. He is witnessing and he is speaking for the people, the workers,” the curator explains. A small but powerful portrait of Marx in the gallery’s upstairs hall seems to preside over this artistic dialogue.
However, as visitors move through the chronological display, they witness a shift in the artist’s perspective. “That changes as you gradually travel to the later years, where he questions himself whether he is allowed to speak for them,” Sivakumar observes. This self-reflection adds layers of complexity to Patwardhan’s later works, revealing an artist increasingly aware of his position as observer rather than participant.
The 1990s liberalization era marks a turning point in both Patwardhan’s work and the urban landscape he depicts. The curator points to this period as crucial: “The human connection, interaction gradually decreased in the ’90s, the era of liberalisation. The city changes, the mills give way to the malls, the structures grow tall, loom over the people.” This transformation is viscerally captured in Patwardhan’s evolving artistic language. His expressionist style, while maintaining its distinctive character, begins to reflect the isolation and alienation of modern urban life. The figures that once connected now seem adrift in landscapes dominated by towering structures and changing work patterns.
Perhaps most haunting is “Built and Broken,” where three figures in concentration camp prisoner attire contemplate bodies in a ditch, their Nazi-era uniforms creating a chilling connection between historical and contemporary genocides. The looming structures in the background serve as silent witnesses to recurring human cruelty.
Patwardhan’s concern extends beyond India’s borders to encompass the global artistic community. His powerful work “War Zone Studio” presents artists attempting to create within a bombed studio space. The composition’s fragmented edges and uncertain dimensions mirror the precarious existence of artists in conflict zones, while a bomb crater at the painting’s center draws the eye to destruction’s epicenter. Yet in the corner, an artist persists among their creations—a testament to art’s resilience in the face of violence.
“Cities: Built, Broken” encompasses the full breadth of Patwardhan’s urban observations: the inhabitants both human and animal, the faceless crowds, bustling railway stations, rising metros, and persistent slums. Yet beyond mere documentation, the exhibition presents something more profound—a sustained conversation between artist and subject, creator and city, observer and observed.
As Patwardhan navigates new political theories and landscapes in our rapidly changing world, his five decades of work serve as both historical record and ongoing commentary. The exhibition reveals an artist who has never stopped questioning, never ceased feeling, and never abandoned his commitment to bearing witness to urban life in all its complexity.
This remarkable retrospective, which opened on Tuesday, offers visitors through September 28 the opportunity to engage with one of India’s most important artistic voices—a voice that speaks not just of cities built and broken, but of the enduring human spirit that inhabits them.
Featuring Image Courtesy: Scroll In
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