‘Esoteric Expressions’: Grasping the visual vocabulary of timelessness in KS Kulkarni’s works

The landmark retrospective honours the modernist

Shireen Quadri

Updated At : 04:51 AM Oct 05, 2025 IST

KS Kulkarni at Gallerie Ganesha.

When Gallerie Ganesha opened its doors in 1989, the Delhi art scene was very different compared to today. “At that time, there were barely three or four galleries in the city,” recalls founder-director Shobha Bhatia, “so there was immense need for a right platform to give exposure to the growing number of talented young artists.”

The person she turned to for advice was her former art teacher, the celebrated modernist KS Kulkarni (1916-1994). “Prof Kulkarni had been my teacher at Triveni Kala Sangam in the early 1960s,” Bhatia says. “When I came back to Delhi in the 1980s, I thought of starting an art gallery. I got in touch with him, seeking his guidance. His response was very positive and so we founded Gallerie Ganesha. He graciously agreed to let us exhibit his works in a solo show as the inaugural exhibition.”

KS Kulkarni — Untitled (15x22 inches) acrylic on paper

Thirty-six years later, Bhatia is once again in dialogue with her mentor’s work through ‘Esoteric Expressions’, a two-part retrospective of the paintings created between the 1980s and mid-1990s. The exhibition was held at Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, from August 23-31, before moving to Gallerie Ganesha in Greater Kailash II from September 5 to October 7; it culminates on Kulkarni’s death anniversary.

Kulkarni’s art has always defied easy categorisation. “One cannot classify it in pre-existing compartments or genres,” Bhatia insists. “Since his work was so varied, he could not belong to any one category or movement. His was a journey of exploration and expression as if he was constantly learning and growing.”

Known for the geometric encapsulation of space, bold lines and flat planes of colour, Kulkarni fused eastern and western influences into a language entirely his own. “While the external vocabulary is the universal modern one,” Bhatia observes, “the inner spirit, the emotions and the underlying philosophy are very rooted in the Indian soil.” Inspired by primitive and tribal art from around the world, his canvases retain “a very contemporary look and therefore even the viewer today can relate to it”.

That timelessness is what Bhatia and her team sought to highlight in the show: “What makes his art contemporary is the honesty of his engagement with the work. His strong lines and simple form stand the test of time. His use of acrylic paints to create an impression of oils, watercolours and even pastels is fascinating. Though the works are from an earlier time, the visual vocabulary is timeless and will continue to hold its own for many years to come.”

Born in 1916 in Belgaum, Karnataka, Krishna Shamrao Kulkarni trained at the Sir JJ School of Art before moving to Delhi in 1943 as a textile designer. He co-founded the Delhi Shilpi Chakra in 1949; the collective supported artists in the years just after Independence and championed the belief that “art illuminates life”.

KS Kulkarni - Untitled (22x18) Acrylic on Paper.

As the first Art Director of Triveni Kala Sangam from 1949 to 1968 and later as Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Banaras Hindu University, Kulkarni became as influential a teacher as he was a painter. He mentored countless artists, taught at the Delhi College of Art, and even served as a visiting professor at Skidmore College in New York. His works travelled widely, from Tokyo and Paris to Venice and Sao Paulo, and he was commissioned to create a monumental mural for a government exhibition in Moscow.

For Bhatia, this history is personal. “My perception, and generally that of today’s audience, has evolved and one can now really relate to his art even more,” she reflects. “There is a simplicity and depth in his work which, even today, has universal appeal. The more you look at his work, the more it reveals to the viewer. His work stands out and speaks for itself and is sought after even today,” Bhatia says.

By revisiting the artist who helped launch her gallery, Bhatia shows how the roots of Indian modernism continue to nourish contemporary practice. Kulkarni once wrote, “Beyond the influence of Indian culture and its ethos, my horizons are universal. I am interested in the universalising of the human spirit.” More than three decades after his passing, that universal spirit still pulsates through his paintings, and through the gallery that first gave them a home.

— The writer is a freelance contributor

‘Esoteric Expressions’: Grasping the visual vocabulary of timelessness in KS Kulkarni’s works

The landmark retrospective honours the modernist

Shireen Quadri

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