New York may still be an international culture center, but there is a wealth of art out there that it never, or seldom, sees. Although Gieve Patel and Sudhir Patwardhan, two of the best-known painters in India, are well into the middle of their careers, this two-man show is as close as either has come to having a solo here. Fortunately, these two colleagues and friends make a complementary pair.
I have admired Mr. Patwardhan's work since I first saw it in a group exhibition at the Grey Art Gallery in 1985, and have eagerly sought it out since. His painting might be considered a form of Socialist Realism, minus ideological hard-sell or an agony-or-ecstasy tone. Instead, he paints everyday, unprivileged urban lives with a solidity of form and a deliberateness of pacing that imbue even crowd scenes with a ceremonial, moral weight.
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