In black and white

Between January 9 and 15, 2008, Bom­bay-based artist Behram Rana exhibited 52 black and white abstract paintings in mixed media at the Jehangir Art Gallery. "I have always been strongly drawn toward black and white, be it a photograph or a movie or an artwork,” writes Rana on his website (www.behramrana.com). "When I visited a painting exhibition which was in black and white… I sealed my search for (a new) concept and accepted black and white as my next challenge,” he adds, explaining the genesis of his most recent solo show, the paintings for which were completed in 2007.

"Divinity” was the concept for Rana’s first show held way back in 1983 at the Taj Art Gallery where he had used "Aum” as a symbolic representation in design and form. The response to that show was "very encouraging,” his website informs. Nine other one-man shows followed, where the artist switched concepts between still life, figurative, portraits, thematic and non-thematic designs. "I listened to my heart and painted,” he says, claiming that he has not changed his approach to this day. His artworks have been appreciated not only for their concept and mixed media technique but for their colors, to which viewers react strongly. So, though he loved working in black and white for his recent collection, the "temptation to use other colors haunted me and I finally gave in. I took the liberty and used shades of blue in a few of my paintings,” Rana reveals.

Behram Rana with a black and white painting for the "Temptation” exhibition

Thus "Temptation” became the title of the exhibition. "After all I believe that temptation is a form of creation. Can we ignore this natural fact?” he asks rhetorically.

Rana, who was born in 1942, is an alumnus of the J. J. Institute of Arts, Bombay. An advertising professional, he worked for Interpublicity Advertising Agency Private Limited as art director for five years and later in the advertisement department of Larsen and Toubro also as art director for 24 years until his retirement in 2001. Both his studio and residence are located in the verdant environs of Malcolm Baug in the Jogeshwari suburb.