Sunday, August 26, 2012

Painterly realm of Surya Prakash

Known to be a multifaceted artist, Surya Prakash, constantly imbibes techniques and other finer aspects of painterly processes from other senior painters, evolving his own style in the process. Keen to experiment, he has expanded his oeuvre by encompassing newer forms, colors, motifs and styles. In media and surface as well, Prakash continually experiments and furthers his reach, most recently trying his hand at etching.

The principal concern of his practice is the nature in all its facets that he perceives and depicts on canvas in an inimitable style. His semi-realistic albeit meticulous representation of foliage and flowers, are like the skilful impressionists’ works, deftly marked by layered colors and exquisitely rendered textures.

His illustrious career spans well over four decades. He has had several solo and group shows in India and abroad – at galleries in Poland, Germany, Russia, Hungary, the UK, Czechoslovakia, Syria, France, Iran, and the US. The recipient of gold medals from the Lalit Kala Akademi, Andhra Pradesh and the Hyderabad Art Society, he has also received the National Award. Importantly, the artist has been in the forefront of his home state’s art movement, organizing camps and workshops et al.

This immensely skilled impressionist ably captures the picturesque native landscapes in varied glowing hues. There’s something dreamy and idealistic about the way he chooses the colors, the way they are combined and applied to the surface. However, the impressionistic movement was not the only European influence that touched this talented artist’s work. In his series of canvases like ‘Barren Leaves’, one could notice a definite surrealistic force. A Dali-esque feel to the larger than life autumnal leaves delicately floating to the ground is evident in most of his paintings.

Analyzing an even earlier series of works ‘Jargon of the Junk’, one could notice the convoluted metal forms he uses as subjects. In fact, they alluded to the style of the Fauvists and Bacon, and also of Tyeb Mehta.

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