Once a critic conceded as to how he proceeded to discover the obsessive compulsive disorder in MF Husain's penchant for horse but ended up decoding some kind of "stealth vitality" in it. It is unprecedented in the sense that it is not just another exhibition or event of bidding and auction but it is a day of union and celebration to witness the raving pulse of the horse races. Far removed from the stallion of "Indian Picasso" - as Husain was often called - the horse will soon descend in an unusual avatar in the City of Joy.
Come March 29 and you can horse around at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club to have a dekko of how the artists' horse strut up the exhibition gallery and represent itself in myriad moods: From being an epitome of potency to a symbol of speed to an archetype of ferocity and chivalry, to a prototype of authoritative preponderance et al.
Imagine the ambience of watching a horse race and savouring the finest forms of visual arts stroked by some of India's famous connoisseurs at the colonial Race Course. "It is like marrying surrealism with realism or assimilating racers' gallery with art gallery," says a member of Bachhawat Foundation, the organiser of the event.
Says Vikram Bachhawat, himself an artist and a member of the foundation, "It is much more than an art exhibition in the sense that eight horse races would go alongside an art workshop, art exhibition followed by a concert of Indian semi-classical vocal music and live performance of Baul dance from Shantiniketan."
The uniqueness also lies in the fact that each winning owner of the horse would be presented a Bronze sculpture created by an eminent sculptor instead of regular trophies.
Chhatrapati Dutta's theme, christening "watch tower", rotates around the profound psychological entwinement between the racing horse and its owner. "It is something about my observation of the races and one of those guys whose life anchors around his horses as he spends a big part of his life racing," says the artist.
Dutta, however, affords sufficient freedom to his viewer saying though his theme revolves more around the rider than the horse "it is quite open-ended and one is free to visualise the horse say for example as a symbol of vitality, chivalry" or for that matter an element of continuity between the feudal era and market economy.
On the Foundation's choice of an unlikely venue, Bacchawat says, "Apart from the fact that the place is centrally located with a huge accommodating capacity there was also an idea of bringing people from all walks of life on single platform."
He adds, "Imagine the impact of the cultural gala on persons who take more interest in racing than on cultural events. Simply the unique event would connect the masses with the world of art."
And with a galaxy of maestros, from artists, sculptors, singers to those from tinsel world gracing the occasion, who knows the horse could herald for you the mood of late spring and court the first westerly of the season.