ALCHEMY- Realm Of Tonality & Textures | 4th Sept. - 20th Sept. 2022

 

141st Show Sponsored by Artchill 

Abstract art is not an imitation of reality or a parallel depiction of it, but it does have a relation with the reality which is often complex and dialectical in its nature. In abstract art, realism gets transformed into what can be called a ‘higher or heightened realism’. Contemporary artists are now open to experimentation on new ways of visualization , to liberate oneself to the spirit of experimentation. 

In this current show titled ‘ALCHEMY- Realm of Tonality & Textures’ each artist opens a window of their creative realms with controlled drawing of lines , use of varied colour tones and of interesting mixed media. These bubbles are waiting to burst with their spirit of energies to celebrate the ease, the play of colours, tones, lines and forms; colors represent fascinating variations, layers and hazes of light and create a pervasive veil of atmosphere. Integrally linked the works then operate in a lattice of interfaces between belonging and being, open to influences both local and global, the skill of training and the color of contemporaneity. This Leitmotif of the textural idioms arouses an unbridled pleasure; it leads, invariably, to an addictive idiom of continuous stimulation-by-image, a loss of correspondence between real-world imperatives and inner world fantasies. 

This current show at Juneja Art Gallery, surveys a body of work that leaves itself incisively open, somewhere between being created and wholly complete. Their paintings, may not be muted in color or form, but they are bold and powerful and carry a story to narrate. The textures that they add to each canvas echo the trials and tribulations of observations they all ponder over in the everyday idiom of lifestyles and living. Nature offers them pictorial and aesthetic beauty and inspires them with images and ideas. These artists never loose focus as they glide over their energy forces, deftly using elements of abstraction, distortion and simplification to create an alternative world on canvass. 

Each of these artists create intimate glimpses of uncanny worlds and mindscapes suffused with an atmosphere of the unknown . Processes and the possibility of instability, openness, and perpetual transformation underlie the creation and understanding of all the exhibited works. 

Amit Kalla : ‘Painting is a thoughtful and humble commencement for me to understand the crux of visual artistic journey along with the considerate subject which moves in between the language of form and formlessness. In my works there is an effort to create impact in a whole and enriching way, through transitional engagement in the painting, which leads the whole process to a higher level of consciousness where time, space and environment have an impetus role which is undoubtedly realized. Much of the imagery comes from my unconscious; There is a profound impact of formalist ideas and thought too on my process, ample activity can be observed on the canvas, at the same time there is presence of settled emotions too. There is some kind of quest, rethinking a remapping’. 

Anil Mohanpuriya : His canvasses are modernist in nature with impressionistic undertones. His skill is evident in the way he creates imaginative and stunning cityscapes as molten images in various hues . 

Dharmendra Rathore a well known artist, depicts remarkable states of serenity in his paper works , a striking evidence of great strength and skill in organizing forms and colours and creating the effect of enchantment and fantasy. To create vitality & dynamism in an animate mass is a difficult proposition. It takes courage and tenacity as artists explore an addictive idiom , reflecting in some ways the conditions of artistic practices within the broader domain of expressive culture. 

Khetanchi : For him Painting is a practice of searching the relevant meaning of nature’s sign, it’s a kind of pure meditative search, in which he deeply found himself submerged and wrapped up, in the variety of different moods, tones and textures in a method which derives through seeing and conjures up colors so thoroughly, each breath becomes stroke of Painting. There is intense and immeasurable imaginative appearance in his abstractions which are outstanding and acquitted, all the way through art works he proved himself as a true explorer of void, as like someone who constantly exploring the real denotations and metaphors of distinctive visual language and trying to manifest the higher realm of aesthetic experience. Gazing his works one can clearly assume his dedication towards subtle symbolic understanding of both form and formlessness. 

Nupur Kundu a well known Indian artist, experiments in a wide palette of colour and enjoys impasto oils on her canvases .The palette knife work, the thick impasto paint – it all makes some of the works of these series almost sculptural ! She says “I endeavor to embody in my work the ineffable in colours. The colors are given freedom to flow, move, and dialogue with each other, share inaudibly and even invisibly the mystery of their being. They carry no thematic burden nor are pushed into the straight jacket of meanings. They are a narrative into themselves primarily  ‘Colourscapes’ . Nupur renders nature as well as emotive moods through organic motifs, geometrical forms, repetitive brushstrokes and careful layering of impasto paint.  

Prayag Shukla who is a very senior Art Historian & Art Critic amazes us with his zestful energetic works , with his multiple coloured registrations creating surfaces of incredible richness and extravagance. There is a reflection and frequent presence of 'self ' in all the artworks his concept of  work revolves around myriad facets of life, mostly positive and uplifting. The mixed essence of peace and tranquility that defines the basic nature of the artist as evident in his perfect harmony of bright and soft, prominent and diffusing colours ! 

Richard Jacobs says “My abstract art explores organic invention, with faith in alchemy and an adventurous concept of time. Elements of the past, present and future separate, blend and interchange until they make sense in a way that the work dictates. Discovering the soul of the painting is the content, with the intent that each piece surprises in new ways every time it is seen, making its individual and evolving nature the reward. Richard Jacobs received a BA from Cooper Union, a MFA from Yale, and was a Henry Luce Scholar in Bali, Indonesia. He lives and paints in Putney Vermont, and maintains a studio in Bali. Works are included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Rose Art Museum, the DeCordova Museum, Fidelity Investments, Bank of America and the Hall Art Foundation. 

Somenath Maity’s cityscapes are beautiful, illuminated, and enchanting visuals of the city that are quite layered and imposing, but they belong more to a ‘felt’ space rather than a ‘seen‘ one. They are solitary and dream-like too. They provide a visual treat, but what is more striking is that they seem to unfold some mystery and you wish to remain in front of them for as long as you can. This has been possible mainly due to Somenath’s masterly use of light in his colors. 

Surendra Pal Joshi :  The art of Surendra  Joshi is the understanding of bringing into the studio the field of aesthetic innovation, so that his analogy enriches; it cultivates retreat which nourishes the possibility of real communication and community by replenishing the inner contemplative silence, contains the energy of art, and weaves within the lingua franca of introspection and repose of reflection, and also nurtures it. Born under the rubric of rustic interactivity, works of art can turn into allegorical constructs. 

Joshi has used texture and textile in the past to create his works, there is an attempt to re-dedicate itself continuously to a revolutionary  impulse that translates texture into the tonality of the canvas, even if this should involve it in a perennial cycle of breaking and re-shaping and recreating. ‘The elements that I used for so many years are now distancing themselves and I am moving towards a minimalist mode, a sense of peace and detachment where only the texture and the color reign.’ 

Sushil Nimark : The abysmal depth of their artistic vision is abundantly visible in this show as they created with a great deal of passion, intensity and vigor, with layers upon layers mounted with immense dedication and dexterity as we see his works. It has tranquility, optimism and lull, which holds you spellbound & mesmerized. His artworks expose a rhythm of Lived Life ! 

Vinay Sharma : His work in dynamic structure revolved around ideas and indications of life and earth. His procedure of making a canvas is continuous , he likes to utilize different media and paint on carefully assembled old paper and materials. To make multi-layered pictures, he uses collection, print, and conventional scaled-down canvas in oil and watercolors. These consolidate well with written hand calligraphy and markings on the paper. While making this arrangement, he has a feeling of being an observer to his very own family line and keeps on getting various pictures which blend in his artworks to implant them with another life…. 

Yusuf ( Bhopal)  :   In his contemporary  abstract paintings, Yusuf generally sticks to sparse and geometric forms. The abstractionist generally expresses using a limited color palette over multiple mediums such as oil, ink and acrylic on canvas. Yusuf understands the meaning and magic of the line - Precision and restraint are his two attributes, consistently evident in his works. Unsentimental, at times to the point of austerity, the paintings have a palpable rhythm. Yusuf employs the abstract medium for uncovering what is not directly accessible. His paintings hint at a distribution of cosmic bodies, their simultaneous aloofness, gravitation and musical movement.