Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Feminine Form at Jamaat Gallery, Mumbai

A new show of figurative paintings (Jun 5, 2011 to Jul 1, 2011) revolves around feminine form that has inspired creative minds down the ages, as an accompanying note states. “She is gentle and strong, coy and bold, pampered and hardworking, compassionate and merciless, calm and fiery, sober and merry. Several artists from India, Iran and Sri Lanka portraying the fascinating form in their own inimitable styles,” the write-up adds.

Originally from Kolkatta, Ajay De is now based in Mumbai. He has a command over the medium of charcoals on paper. His works in charcoal carry a hint of acrylic paint. The women he paints are gentle, yet pensive, and with expressive eyes.

Bharti Prajapati, an artist from Ahmedabad, is known to paint highly stylized female forms, using oils on canvas. The women have beautiful textures and are done in bright colors. Gautam Mukherji, an artist from Kolkata, works with acrylic paint on canvas. He is very much grounded in his culture. His homely women from West Bengal are quite evocative of the Badhralok, as evident in their languid movements, stylized clothes exquisite ornaments and elongated almond eyes. They are very much seeped in an indulgent mode.

Raja Segar from the island country of Sri Lanka has quite a distinctive style that can be termed ‘refractive’. The white light, as can be deciphered, fractures into beams of color. The women he paints are from working class, doing a multitude of tasks like plucking tea, feeding birds and nursing children. The works are acrylic on canvas.

Rajesh Srivastava who hails from Delhi again has a very contemporary look and feel. His unique approach and style is evident in the exquisite miniature works that have jewel-like faces. The faces he paints carry expressive eyes. The body akin to an aerial landscape abstract is done in muted colors. The compositions with mixed media on board are indeed fabulous.

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