Art allows one to explore a world which is beyond the obvious. Ambadas has been trying to just do that, while not moving away from reality. He has made efforts to showcase change in his works as a way of life. For him painting is a medium to present life and its reality on canvas in a way which is not traditionally figurative and not easy to comprehend.
He has made a mark on Indian art as pioneer of abstract paintings. For a layman his paintings may be difficult to understand, but as one stresses mind and focuses on his work, one can understand a sense of restlessness in his creations. His strokes, the way he uses his brush and it appears on canvas, we can see the message Ambadas wants to convey. And the message is dualism emanating from a feeling of constant hope and despair.
In life we are daily confronted with this sense of futility of our life and the very purpose of our existence. Many philosophers have given their view on the subject , yet life remains an enigma. Each night envelops us in darkness, yet it is followed by refreshing morning, which brings hope. We are daily confronted between forces of negativism and positivism, light and darkness, hell and heaven, rise and fall. Ambadas has presented that sense of dualism in his paintings. In his effort, he has made us witness the cosmic order on his convas.
Every artist is influenced by his surroundings and society. Ambadas has been inspired by Indian philiosophy and monasticism. He has been living abroad and has made home away from his homeland. Anybody living abroad suffers from clash of interest and longs for his roots. His paintings also reflect a sense of restless soul, who is in search peace and harmony. At the same time, his paintings make us believe whole universe is originated from one fountain, which seems to the direct influence of Monism. Though, his paintings are abstract in appearance and each lines are of different shape and direction, they seem to be united by a sense of unity.
The world is also full of negative and positive forces. On positive side, we have love, binding and harmony while on the negative side, we have to confront conflicts, hatred, and breakdown in relations. To present this universal idea on the canvas, Ambadas invented a new technique. In his own words, he uses Kerosene to break the color and uses varnish to bind it again. He is the harbinger of this technique in India and it gives his paintings a unique look, which needs to explore.
Unlike other artists, who have pre-conceived ideas before they start putting strokes on the canvas, Ambadas starts his work with an empty mind and allows the creation to make him think on the subject. He gets inspired by his creation and get his ideas from that. Interestingly, a bishop once told Ambadas that he could easily do the same paintings. Ambadas answered to the bishop that latter could easily do the same paintings, but would not remember it afterwards. Ambadas, on the other hand is stuck to his creations for all his life. He has used his strokes in very careful manner and each lines seem to have many layers beneath it. Working tirelessly on any painting, Ambadas has presented to us works which is not easy to decipher. Each line in his paintings is different in shape and size! They are not identical.
Ambadas has never trod the beaten track. He has created his own path and has enabled us to think over his style. His use of color and space has changed over a period of time and it looks in harmony with his work. Initially used to bright and vibrant colors, he has started using light and sober colors of late. On the canvas, his use of color and space appear to be in harmony with each other. Having a look at his work leads us to think that he does not leave any space blank. The entire canvas is breathing. Many of his works have been compared with Islamic calligraphy due to appearance and resemblance. His works are also synonymous for representing chaos and turmoil on the canvas, although it is not easy to understand his paintings.
The works of Ambadas present the realities of life using his own style. It leaves us with thousand suggestions and it is for the viewer to get to the meaning of the work. Life is always changing and it is continuous dialogue between present and past. Experiences of life are not easy to understand and have different meanings for us. The paintings of Ambadas invite us to explore a world which reflects ‘reality’ on canvas, as we experience it in our lives. For him, paintings are not only means to achieve creative satisfaction but to present cosmic order on the canvas.
Dealing with mysteries of life and exploring meaning in the cosmic order is not an easy task. Ambadas has devoted himself to present this in his work, and it gives his work a universal appeal.
Showing posts with label Art Criticism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art Criticism. Show all posts
Friday, July 27, 2007
GEORGE KEYT
Getting to see two cultures and living with it make people confused. Few take the best of both and make their own path to bring a fresh approach. So did George Keyt. Belonging to Ceylon, he has been inspired by Western and Eastern Art traditions while mixing them with local traditions.
An artist with poetic mind, Keyt went to explore his subjects with gentleness. Kandy, where he was born and brought up left lasting impression on his thoughts. He was deeply influenced by Buddhist life and the legends associated with the emergence of Theravada Buddhism, which was prevalent in Ceylon. The frescos painting of ‘Apsaras’ at Sigiriya temple also made its way into his imagination. His inquisitive mind also brought him in touch with Hindu mythology and traditions. Art critics have also found influences of Braque and Picasso’s cubism in his works. He had also met Rabindernath Tagore and was inspired by Bengal School of Art and its folk tradition.
His style is a blend of western and Indian influence. He has added new form to Picasso’s cubism and distortion with his line and choice of colours. His art attains sensuality. He was more interested in his structure while dealing with any subject. His paintings are similar to the poetry of Kalidas, who laid emphasis on details while explaining the beauty of Shakuntala.
The works of Keyt are celebration of human love in natural forms, which proclaim that world originated out of the cosmic union of female and male. Females are not only objects of desire but they are ‘Shakti’ which are so vital for the universe as preached and carried out in Hindu tradition with the manifestation of love between Shiva and Parvati, Krishna with Radha and seduction of Vishawametra by Menaka. All this traditional union and harmony of humans have been emphasized by Keyt. The romancing of Gopis by Krishna with its natural charm also provided the vision for the love of Keyt. Love has many sides and real love is divine love. The way to divine love lies in physical union of both the sexes. Women in his works are not objects to be desired, but they are source of all energy.
Women in his creations carry a look which is mixture of Sinhalese and Indian form of feminine beauty. He has beautifully presented women in ways which resemble Devdasis as represented in the Indian temples of Khajuraho, Ajanta and Ellora and Yakshinis. He was also married to an Indian woman. Carrying a voluptuous body with sensuous appeal, women in his paintings are celebration of love, passion, desire, legends and seduction. His structure and lines are in such harmony that curves of the body are highlighted in its natural form adding eroticism to its appearance. His women are liberated and freely express their feelings. Women putting make-up, bathing, waiting, and making love are depicted without any subversion of basic instincts. They are happy in union and unhappy in separation. Sorrow is a passing phase in his depictions and he celebrates the victory of good over evil in life.
He has also made Jatakas or the birth stories related to Buddha, his subjects. A keen follower of Buddhism, he championed the cause of Buddhism revival. He has also keen interest in Hindu mythology and translated Gita Govinda into english with illustrations. The poetry of this treatise is reflected in his drawings of women are shown seeking love out of sheer desire without any prudence. He has integrated Indian art with Sinhalese art and added new appeal to his work. While dealing with Hindu mythology he has stressed on women like Savtri or Draupadi. His murals, landscapes and drawings depict his native place, life of Buddhist monk and surroundings of Kandy.
In this picture, Keyt has presented an important phase of woman’s life. The woman is doing ‘Sringara’ looking into mirror. Her image is reflected in many ways and she is admiring her beauty and enhancing it by applying make-up. Many thoughts come to her mind. It is an example of woman waiting for her lover and thinking of her union with him. Her attire and style reflect local Ceylonese tradition. It is an apt example of woman full of desire.
Keyt has borrowed liberally from the Indian and Western schools of art to create sensuality in his works. His creations glorify and celebrate feminine beauty as fountain of all sources of energy and fertility, a concept presented in Indian art as ‘Motherhood’.
An artist with poetic mind, Keyt went to explore his subjects with gentleness. Kandy, where he was born and brought up left lasting impression on his thoughts. He was deeply influenced by Buddhist life and the legends associated with the emergence of Theravada Buddhism, which was prevalent in Ceylon. The frescos painting of ‘Apsaras’ at Sigiriya temple also made its way into his imagination. His inquisitive mind also brought him in touch with Hindu mythology and traditions. Art critics have also found influences of Braque and Picasso’s cubism in his works. He had also met Rabindernath Tagore and was inspired by Bengal School of Art and its folk tradition.
His style is a blend of western and Indian influence. He has added new form to Picasso’s cubism and distortion with his line and choice of colours. His art attains sensuality. He was more interested in his structure while dealing with any subject. His paintings are similar to the poetry of Kalidas, who laid emphasis on details while explaining the beauty of Shakuntala.
The works of Keyt are celebration of human love in natural forms, which proclaim that world originated out of the cosmic union of female and male. Females are not only objects of desire but they are ‘Shakti’ which are so vital for the universe as preached and carried out in Hindu tradition with the manifestation of love between Shiva and Parvati, Krishna with Radha and seduction of Vishawametra by Menaka. All this traditional union and harmony of humans have been emphasized by Keyt. The romancing of Gopis by Krishna with its natural charm also provided the vision for the love of Keyt. Love has many sides and real love is divine love. The way to divine love lies in physical union of both the sexes. Women in his works are not objects to be desired, but they are source of all energy.
Women in his creations carry a look which is mixture of Sinhalese and Indian form of feminine beauty. He has beautifully presented women in ways which resemble Devdasis as represented in the Indian temples of Khajuraho, Ajanta and Ellora and Yakshinis. He was also married to an Indian woman. Carrying a voluptuous body with sensuous appeal, women in his paintings are celebration of love, passion, desire, legends and seduction. His structure and lines are in such harmony that curves of the body are highlighted in its natural form adding eroticism to its appearance. His women are liberated and freely express their feelings. Women putting make-up, bathing, waiting, and making love are depicted without any subversion of basic instincts. They are happy in union and unhappy in separation. Sorrow is a passing phase in his depictions and he celebrates the victory of good over evil in life.
He has also made Jatakas or the birth stories related to Buddha, his subjects. A keen follower of Buddhism, he championed the cause of Buddhism revival. He has also keen interest in Hindu mythology and translated Gita Govinda into english with illustrations. The poetry of this treatise is reflected in his drawings of women are shown seeking love out of sheer desire without any prudence. He has integrated Indian art with Sinhalese art and added new appeal to his work. While dealing with Hindu mythology he has stressed on women like Savtri or Draupadi. His murals, landscapes and drawings depict his native place, life of Buddhist monk and surroundings of Kandy.
In this picture, Keyt has presented an important phase of woman’s life. The woman is doing ‘Sringara’ looking into mirror. Her image is reflected in many ways and she is admiring her beauty and enhancing it by applying make-up. Many thoughts come to her mind. It is an example of woman waiting for her lover and thinking of her union with him. Her attire and style reflect local Ceylonese tradition. It is an apt example of woman full of desire.
Keyt has borrowed liberally from the Indian and Western schools of art to create sensuality in his works. His creations glorify and celebrate feminine beauty as fountain of all sources of energy and fertility, a concept presented in Indian art as ‘Motherhood’.
RABIN MONDAL
Robin Mondal is an artist who uses art to express his reaction to what he is witnessing. In many ways such inner feelings acquire universal connotations as what one comes across in real life is in other way story of the world. His works presents to us with the dark sides of human life.
Born and educated in Kolkata, Robin had to face with poverty and human suffering. He has demonstrated with ease the suffering of people working in Howrah and Kolkata. It is pertinent to mention that grim faces depicted by him in his works showcase the workers, who were exploited by industrial houses for production. He was witness to a milieu where rich has it all and the poor were becoming poorer. He could hardly make any difference to the lives of the oppressed people, so he decided to bring it on the canvas in such a way that a personal chronicle could acquire universal color.
For Mondal art was the means to communicate his feelings to us. He has used all his energies to make it lively and meaningful. Not only he came across the daily stumbling of human lives but he was surprised at the greed of a section of society. He was unhappy to see how human beings could stoop to exploit fellow people for their own comfort and profit. The emergence of market fundamentalism with its disregard to human lives bothered him. His works show the plight of working class men and women of Howrah and Kolkatta.
Though he got art education in Bengal and was under the influence of Bengal school of art, he was also inspired by different schools of Indian art. The stamp of folk and tribal art on his work is obvious. Some of his works also resemble to tribal deities and other goddesses. In 1940s there was an exhibition of French artists in Kolkata and Robin was also benefited by interacting with artists. Jamini Roy and Tagore also left lasting impressions on his works. His technique and style are different with subject.
He has used sketches, drawings and paintings to convey his ideas to us through figures. He has experimented with watercolor, wax, ink, oil and acrylic to give varied look. In this way he is a versatile artist. Robin has used dark pigments of black, red and moss of green with use of charcoal to present haunting images. Exaggerations, distortions at some places have given way to destruction of the form. His women, heads, faces, deities, queens and landscapes represent the suffering of human beings. The fall of man and quest for complete man has always interested philosophers of east and west for generations.
Mondal’s works showcases the descent of Man. His art uses symbols to bring his reaction to realism. So human beings in his work acquire a different shape. This shape resembles demon, devil and even beast at some places. The bodies of human beings are distorted and stretched out of proportion. Faces have narrow forehead, wrinkles and in some mouth is wide open showing teeth. They are faces of pain, sorrow, and anger. Yet they have hope in their eyes and not ready to give up. The emotions in his works also bring moral decline to the fore with his paintings and sketches of brothels and lovers, His depiction of queens represent isolation, which we witness in our lives.
In this painting Robin is showing women at work. Though, we can clearly see two women working, we are not able to decipher the rest. That is Robin. He uses his imagination and feelings to react to any subject. Just two women are working various ideas come to their mind which are not clear and they are confused.
His art is not beautiful. But his works are communicating to the viewer that our urban existence is modern day jungle. Robin’s works are not only meant for decoration but they are relevance to our lives.
Born and educated in Kolkata, Robin had to face with poverty and human suffering. He has demonstrated with ease the suffering of people working in Howrah and Kolkata. It is pertinent to mention that grim faces depicted by him in his works showcase the workers, who were exploited by industrial houses for production. He was witness to a milieu where rich has it all and the poor were becoming poorer. He could hardly make any difference to the lives of the oppressed people, so he decided to bring it on the canvas in such a way that a personal chronicle could acquire universal color.
For Mondal art was the means to communicate his feelings to us. He has used all his energies to make it lively and meaningful. Not only he came across the daily stumbling of human lives but he was surprised at the greed of a section of society. He was unhappy to see how human beings could stoop to exploit fellow people for their own comfort and profit. The emergence of market fundamentalism with its disregard to human lives bothered him. His works show the plight of working class men and women of Howrah and Kolkatta.
Though he got art education in Bengal and was under the influence of Bengal school of art, he was also inspired by different schools of Indian art. The stamp of folk and tribal art on his work is obvious. Some of his works also resemble to tribal deities and other goddesses. In 1940s there was an exhibition of French artists in Kolkata and Robin was also benefited by interacting with artists. Jamini Roy and Tagore also left lasting impressions on his works. His technique and style are different with subject.
He has used sketches, drawings and paintings to convey his ideas to us through figures. He has experimented with watercolor, wax, ink, oil and acrylic to give varied look. In this way he is a versatile artist. Robin has used dark pigments of black, red and moss of green with use of charcoal to present haunting images. Exaggerations, distortions at some places have given way to destruction of the form. His women, heads, faces, deities, queens and landscapes represent the suffering of human beings. The fall of man and quest for complete man has always interested philosophers of east and west for generations.
Mondal’s works showcases the descent of Man. His art uses symbols to bring his reaction to realism. So human beings in his work acquire a different shape. This shape resembles demon, devil and even beast at some places. The bodies of human beings are distorted and stretched out of proportion. Faces have narrow forehead, wrinkles and in some mouth is wide open showing teeth. They are faces of pain, sorrow, and anger. Yet they have hope in their eyes and not ready to give up. The emotions in his works also bring moral decline to the fore with his paintings and sketches of brothels and lovers, His depiction of queens represent isolation, which we witness in our lives.
In this painting Robin is showing women at work. Though, we can clearly see two women working, we are not able to decipher the rest. That is Robin. He uses his imagination and feelings to react to any subject. Just two women are working various ideas come to their mind which are not clear and they are confused.
His art is not beautiful. But his works are communicating to the viewer that our urban existence is modern day jungle. Robin’s works are not only meant for decoration but they are relevance to our lives.
LAXMA GOUD
Our social upbringing leaves lasting impression on our psyche. There are artists who are also inspired by their surroundings. Laxma Goud is one artist whose works are deeply rooted in his homeland and rural traditions.
Hailing from Telengana in Andhra Pradesh, Laxma got his art education in Hyderabad. He is a versatile artist who has not confined himself to any one medium of art. He has dabbled into all mediums with equal ease and has left his own mark. His works carry his stamp and it is not difficult to recognize it. His sketching are distorted, disfigured, stretched and are blown out of proportion. He has also used other mediums like glass paintings.
Having lived in his native place, Laxma’s works appear to be rustic, raw and potent.
He started his career painting in black and white and later on took colors. His figures are not individuals living on their own. His men and women loose their freedom as they enter into relation. Some critics have found his art provocative due to his stress on human genitalia and its mutilation, piercing, and decoration. His idea of sexual union seems to be derived from local traditions, which is sensuous, earthy and erotic. His couples have no inhibition in expressing their feeling in open. There appear to some cruelty and fantasy in his portrayals of figures.
He is an artist whose subjects are Indian people and its traditions. His portraits carry dynamism of Indian ethos. At many places his human figures amalgamate with beast and plants to create a new spirit. Here humans seize to be simple humans and acquire some devotional and supernatural powers. Some sketches also depict rural gods and goddesses. In most of his works, humans have are half-naked or naked. The images showcase figures who have only bones and faces carry wrinkles, lines, open mouths with one eyes shut. It appears that Laxma is trying to present the plight of peasant class on the canvas. His lines are eloquent in its expression. A viewer can look upon his creations with intimacy. Other works of his also include colorful landscapes, which depict countryside.
Laxma’s strength lies with his style which is a bridge between traditional folk art and modern imagery. Riding on the bridge he explores his subjects without any boundary in free and frank manner, so that his creations become passionate, intimate and vivacious.
Hailing from Telengana in Andhra Pradesh, Laxma got his art education in Hyderabad. He is a versatile artist who has not confined himself to any one medium of art. He has dabbled into all mediums with equal ease and has left his own mark. His works carry his stamp and it is not difficult to recognize it. His sketching are distorted, disfigured, stretched and are blown out of proportion. He has also used other mediums like glass paintings.
Having lived in his native place, Laxma’s works appear to be rustic, raw and potent.
He started his career painting in black and white and later on took colors. His figures are not individuals living on their own. His men and women loose their freedom as they enter into relation. Some critics have found his art provocative due to his stress on human genitalia and its mutilation, piercing, and decoration. His idea of sexual union seems to be derived from local traditions, which is sensuous, earthy and erotic. His couples have no inhibition in expressing their feeling in open. There appear to some cruelty and fantasy in his portrayals of figures.
He is an artist whose subjects are Indian people and its traditions. His portraits carry dynamism of Indian ethos. At many places his human figures amalgamate with beast and plants to create a new spirit. Here humans seize to be simple humans and acquire some devotional and supernatural powers. Some sketches also depict rural gods and goddesses. In most of his works, humans have are half-naked or naked. The images showcase figures who have only bones and faces carry wrinkles, lines, open mouths with one eyes shut. It appears that Laxma is trying to present the plight of peasant class on the canvas. His lines are eloquent in its expression. A viewer can look upon his creations with intimacy. Other works of his also include colorful landscapes, which depict countryside.
Laxma’s strength lies with his style which is a bridge between traditional folk art and modern imagery. Riding on the bridge he explores his subjects without any boundary in free and frank manner, so that his creations become passionate, intimate and vivacious.
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