The Enchanting World of Yusuf's Art | 20th Oct - 12th Nov 2024 at Juneja Art Gallery, Jaipur

The Enchanting World of Yusuf's Art

20th Oct - 12th Nov  2024 at Juneja Art Gallery, Jaipur

147th Show by Artchill

Yusuf's creations are an intricate dance of sensory and emotional depth, seamlessly blending perceptions and realities with a metaphysical openness that invites endless exploration. Each piece is a unique voyage, traversing the landscapes of memories and sensuous experiences, all while maintaining a remarkable 'lightness of being'. This lightness belies the substantial 'load' of life that his works carry.

The serene and buoyant atmosphere, rendered through subtle gray tones and vibrant colors, invites viewers into a tranquil yet dynamic world. Yusuf's lines flow effortlessly like veins through rock, yet they can twist, break, and splinter, imbuing his works with a poignant and captivating quality. These lines often rise and fall in gentle undulations, coalescing into amorphous forms teeming with life, inviting contemplation on the essence of existence.

The curves, crevices, and cavernous depths of Yusuf's lines invite a deep reflection on the nature of being. Even the broken lines and bold patches of color engage in a profound dialogue, creating a narrative that is both sublime and compelling. His works possess a mellifluous quality, drawing viewers into a magnetic sphere rich with intent and substance. 

Renowned painter and art thinker J. Swaminathan once observed of Yusuf's lines:

"These drawings are self-contained entities of their own. They reveal a world of meaning to us not contained in our lexicon. Yet, our senses apprehend them. We are able to sense them without being able to pigeonhole them. Herein lies the magic of the drawings of Yusuf."

This magic extends to his paintings as well, which could make them an essential part of any artistic discourse.

The Ethereal Elegance of Yusuf’s Sculptures

'Kalpvraksh'

In Yusuf's oeuvre, his uniquely crafted sculptures too stand out. These pieces, suggestive of the relationship between man and machine, eloquently address the modern human predicament—how to live with machines. Almost in a state of flight, the sculptures possess a certain grace, and their presence is enchanting. They remind us of how we are bound to live with machines, providing comfort yet also causing discomfort. At times, we wish to free ourselves from their clutches, yet we remain tethered. One might also recall the superb film by Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times, which explores a similar  dilemma. But let’s return to where it all began for Yusuf.

One day, Yusuf saw a photograph in a newspaper of a man carrying a sewing machine on his shoulder, waddling through rising floodwaters, trying to save the machine. In the photograph, the man's head and the machine’s head appeared almost fused together.

'Yakshini-2'

Yusuf was moved by this portrayal—a man and his machine united in a single moment. Coming from a family of master tailors, he was naturally drawn to the scene, having been familiar with sewing machines since childhood. Later, he learnt that the photograph was taken by photographer Steve McCurry as part of his monsoon series from India and abroad. The photograph fired Yusuf's imagination, and the result was a series of sculptures done with various materials. The series continues with ever-changing, appealing imagery, consisting of faces both ordinary and divine, with many components from nature.

One of the figures, with a predominant blue shade, exudes a distinct charm. The ornate, bead-studded headpiece, earrings and wings convey a certain regal and divine essence. Interestingly, the machine here does not have a dreary and dull presence. Rather, the relationship shown is symbiotic, almost idyllic, evoking a sense of abundance, power and a certain shimmering sacred splendor. The face has a rather calm and introspective expression, unfolding its wings in a sort of spiritual ascent, with the radiance of a deity but with the framework of a device.

'Devi' 

The textural feel of the sculptures is powerfully executed. As with his paintings, the painstakingly intricate details of the sculptures are crafted with love and care, offering a seminal visual delight. The subtlety with which the man’s desire to see beauty in machines is conveyed is astonishing.

Whether we choose a flight from the machine or a flight with it, we find ourselves on the brink of transformation. In whatever way we look at these amazingly done “bodies,” we tend to appreciate them for their elegance, charm, and integrity which leave us with a sense of awe and admiration.

Prayag Shukla

Poet & Art Critic, New Delhi

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My Lines

When a point moves, a line is drawn. In my art the line plays a very important role. When I picturise the group of lines as a basic element, a strange happening occurs. Many lines emanate from this indivisible point, which then give birth to innumerable unrecorded lines. So, when I draw one single line I am actually creating two of them – positive and negative. The white lines between two drawn black lines is not purely space that has been left out. It is actually a deliberate effort. They also form to my line drawings, the same way as the black lines do. The two combine to produce a sensuousness which breathes life into my lines and gives them dynamism and mobility.

'The Served Man'

For me the line is a living unit, full of limitless possibilities I believe that when an artist creates a shape using the line, then it is the line that gives it a definite shape, then ending all other possibilities. That is why in my line drawings you do not see shape of any natural thing – my group of lines is full of possibilities capable of being taken anywhere. My creations are not created through extraneous lines. Infact they are a group of innumerable lines which can be increased or drawn in any direction. And so my line drawings have their origins from the lines, their space and form is always basic where the innermost values remain the same and where the possibilities are endless.

Yusuf

'Oh Krishna' 146th Art Show at Juneja Art Gallery, Jaipur

 Juneja Art Gallery is presenting its 146^th Art Show Celebrating Lord Krishna , this Janmashtami .

​40 Paintings in different stylization by 14 artists on Aura of Krishna are exhibited in this show, by seniors artists like PN CHOYAL, SHAIL CHOYAL, MANAS RANJAN JENA, ASHOK HAZRA , DEEPIKA HAZRA, ANAND PANACHAL , SURJIT AKRE, Late KL VERMA , KAILASH CHANDRA VERMA, Late RK YADAV SUBRATA DAS , AKASH CHOYAL with emerging artists like Hita hari das Vaishnav. ​

Shail Choyal :  A painter, printmaker and a teacher, Shail Choyal is known for a distinctive miniature style of his own through which he has carved a niche for himself in the Contemporary Art scene in the country. He infuses his works in the narrative idiom and also juxtaposes the allegorical with the real. Exploiting the inherent aesthetic motifs and the multi tier division of space of Rajasthani traditional painting, he has evolved a nostalgic art with an utmost modern sensibility. Vibrant colors and surreal settings add mystery to his paintings.

 ‘City of Udaipur, with its glorious ancient Rajput architecture, lakes, hills, gardens and robust people with brilliant colors have always been my prime concern. Rigid angular form in horizontal and vertical lines punctuated with curvilinear motifs of doors, windows, still bluer lakes, domes and turrets all fill me with strong sense of nostalgia. For years, I exploited the visual references of my lovely city to project my own personal world that has been mystical and real as well. In these works, I am trying to project a dramatic tension through juxtaposition of the allegorical with the real and to attain ethereal fantasy. I shall go on fathoming the aesthetic treasures yet unearthed’                             

Manash Ranjan Jena is a renowned visual artist based in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. Manash, born in 1968 in a small village of Mayurbhanj district of rural Odisha, was educated at Bhubaneswar based B.K. College of art. 

Deepika  Hazra

On the fringes of the cities of Rajasthan are clusters of villages where life is in complete contrast to the stressful, materialistic world of today. It is a world cradled in the harmony with nature, a world rich in traditions, folklores and joy. It is a world full of the magical sound of the birds, the amazing sight of the herds of cows, the beautiful and graceful peacocks, the brilliant colors of the flowering trees in full bloom, and the rustic beauty of the women folk at their daily chores, clad in the most colorful clothes.

This series of paintings by my mother, who was born and brought up in Rajasthan, is a tribute to the beauty, simplicity , the peace and the innocent pleasures of these women living in the remote villages far from the maddening crowd.

Madhabihazra