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.
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.
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.
Juneja Art Gallery showcases latest artworks by emerging artist Gourishankar Soni
This is 139th sponsored show by Juneja Art Gallery ( Bais Godown location ) since it was established in 1994 as the 1st private & professional Art Gallery. The Gallery showcases multi media art by not only Eminent Indian artists, but also promotes the young & emerging artists of Brilliance.
The Exhibition was inaugurated by Mr. Jagdish Chandra Katil, CMD of FIRST INDIA NEWS
Show is on view daily till 30th Jan 2022, and will travel to Le Meridien Jaipur in March 2022.
Gourishankar Soni's work, rooted in the artist's childhood, reveals certain intriguing facets of time, memory and the traditional Rajasthani way of life. The artist has always been fascinated and impressed by the rich cultural heritage of Rajasthan. His paintings, often teeming with small figures in dhoti and angarkha, revelling in folk music or other activities with their backdrop awash in bright colors, are resonant with Rajasthani traditions, festivities and day-to-day affairs. The works reflect the way that common folk have been living their lives—with the simplest possible means, yet with dignity and certain grace. All this is perhaps natural, as Gourishankar belongs to Rajasthan and his preoccupation with the beautiful state, which he interprets in a unique manner, is manifest in his art. He interprets the visuals our culture has offered and its present state of affairs that he has seen and felt. The artist celebrates its beauty, joy, and melancholy, with a certain freshness and playful approach which nonetheless asks for serious, sensitive viewing.
Ironically from the land of maharajas, Soni's turbaned 'toilers' are not kings but commoners—sadhus, singers, puppeteers, labourers—men and women, who, unlike royals, have lives that revolve around mundane concerns and moments of leisure that synchronize into collective, community affairs. However in his paintings, each figure seems to have its own autobiography, its own statement. Some of them are retreating into the crevices on the mehrabs of the forts and havelis they built and themselves were almost forgotten. Some gyrating, crawling, wedging themselves through the narrow opening, and some reaching out to each other amid the grind of battles for survival. We can still find their indelible footprint in both life and art.
In his art, Soni has tried to capture their resilience, hope, fears and joys while offering them a more significant social status using his own easily flowing narratives. One can go on weaving many stories with the help of visual narratives he offers. To find the figures climbing a door in one of his works brings a smile to our face as we become one in their adventure and also begin to celebrate, as humans, the passion for creating something bigger than ourselves. Soni has meticulously placed circles and triangles in his images and has laid them neatly, one after another, to have heightened interactions of souls between them.
His works are thus a treat to the eyes and our contemplative faculties. The way he encapsulated the small Lilliputian figures in time, is wondrous and conveys a certain hint of satire. This is particularly noticeable in his painting titled “Social Distance” which reminds us of the plight of the migrants trapped in contexts where social distancing may not be possible even during a pandemic. The use of Egyptian hieroglyphs, symbols such as clocks and antique curios might as well be suggestive of the transience and triviality of human lives. It also raises the question of whether our cultural traditions and social mores are losing their relevance like many lost empires of the distant past. So, in these works, there are histories, but the idea is to turn them into mythical, mystical realms, and make them imaginatively more alive and enchanting. Thus whatever he offers is layered with exquisite references, in terms of specific signs and symbols. In one of his paintings titled “Mystical Life”, we see a sealed tomb of a mummy with carved inscriptions that serve as clues to the rest of the happenings in the picture space.
Gourishankar knows the beauty of the lines, which makes his works more interesting and communicative. The way he sketches the figures, the kites and other objects, all come to us in a focused manner, to establish a 'dialogue'. In fact, this stimulated dialogue makes his paintings worth pondering many times over. Similarly, his use of the circumference of circles, to place some figures and objects there, symbolically is also eye-catching. His bright reds and blues are so very meaningfully expressive and other hues too speak poignantly.
Soni's skills in delineating images, his treatment of textures, his sensuous handling of forms are all allegorically tuned to the extent of being melodious in their tone and tenor. His work, while bearing echoes of the tradition of miniature, champions a more contemporary approach in telling timeless tales of mysticism, language and culture.
'Emotive Ideograms' Join us for the Opening of this Solo show by Moumita Ghosh between
5 to 8 pmtomorrow21st August.
Look forward to your presence , A Visual Art Experience is guaranteed....show is on till 28th Aug.
Moumita’s art is an unrolling canvas of life, where in are charted, celebrated & endured the joys, pains, sorrows, agonies & aspirations, which may come in the course of day to day living. The sheer range of her work is enchanting & invigorating. And the way she explores & handles the delicate themes, & contours of emotions, is a treat to watch.
If one of her work is zestful, joyous or pulsating with life, the other is subdued, pensive, & conveys sorrow or suffering. The immediacy & urgency of her work, emotively carves out an ideogram in a thoughtful manner. Reaching out to us instantly, & involving us in an ongoing dialogue with the works, viewed separately, or in a group. These works are not illustrative. They are potent & perceptive. The emotions & expressions written large on the faces of her characters ( like in a novel or short story) are not without subtle nuances, they make one curious, to delve into the lines, & colors, which ‘portray’ them......contd.. ( Written by Prayag Shukla, New Delhi)
Gallery Artchill takes
great pleasure to Opening of its 77th sponsored show
Recent paintings by Lalit Sharma OPENING - 10 am , on 6th Jan, Gallery Artchill at Amber fort.
Show is on view at : Gallery Artchill, Amber Fort from 6th - 12th Jan 2011 Artchill corridor at Le Meridien Jaipur from 15th - 21st Jan
2012 Juneja Art Gallery from
23rd -29th Jan 2012
Works
of an Inner Tranquility
Lalit
Sharma constructs
the images of a city – which seem real, as well as imaginary, and this city in its dreamlike situation, offers a whole range of colors spread out in architectural units – of terraces, roof tops, windows, doors, domes etc. in a delightful manner. With these colorful architectural units, one also locates water-bodies , gardens and hills under a clear sky and is enchanted to the core, as the array of colors –reds, greens, purples, blues, yellows etc. in
their totality and variation, become poetic and wondrous. There is a certain dexterity in delineation of forms, and the smooth, texture less, ‘flat’ application of the color, makes the pictorial space more light and subliminal (giving a sense of lightness of being). Leading to an effect, wherein the festivity of ‘kite flying’ seems to take the city itself in a flight. An ethereal joyous ‘mood’ pervades in all these paintings done in oils. There is also a suggestion of thought
process, which seems to be percolating all over the place, to absorb and ascertain, the ‘happenings’ then and there, giving the works a meditative quality, as well. The role of cool and warm colours, placed almost side by side, creates yet another ingratiating, peaceful and calm effect.
One is of course reminded of miniature paintings of Rajsthani schools and Mewar style in particular, as the use of red and green, is dense and intense in certain forms, and the white seems to pave and ‘clear’ the way, for other colors to breathe and exist, in a harmonious manner. This seems to be natural, as Lalit belongs to Udaipur, and a family of artists, who have painted through generations in the very format and essence of miniature paintings, and who have made, as a choice, their surroundings the theme and centre of their works. The only noteworthy difference is that Lalit is working under a sensibility, which is very much related to modernistic approaches, in terms of ‘realising’ and re-creating traditional modes and methods and thus enhancing a ‘personal context’. The city of Lalit Sharma offers a
wide range of angles to perceive it: one may perceive it from the ‘viewing point’ of an architectural height, perceive it from front, and from the right and left corners. There is an uplifting quality in the paintings: each and every area seems to have been ‘built’ with care and love. One knows that the human habitats are no more so serene, and free of pollution; yet to dream of an ideal city, is no escape but a realization of one’s aesthetic, and sublime values.
Lalit does this by creating potent images of manmade structures, and the elements of nature. The flying kites, remind us once more, that there are moments to be realized, which are both earthy as well as ethereal. Thus the viewing of these evocative works is bound to give us, moments of a certain inner tranquility.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
