Saturday, December 1, 2012

A way of questioning reality

His peculiar protagonist is a universal character, cutting across physical boundaries, an urban man hemmed in by the unemotional world. He epitomizes the gross injustice of all systems ironically devised for the common people and seldom raises a murmur of protest.

The ubiquitous human figures recurring in Sunil Padwal’s paintings arrive in a similar mode - building it in & out of the surface. Sans any superfluous details, they involve elaborate and dramatic usage of materials. However, these faceless and voiceless figures now resurface as proactive participants, validating their presence in the composition, revealing the mystery of their form. Through them, the sensitive artist channelizes his angst at social injustices and ills on canvases that he describes as a monologue, an intense and personal commentary on everyday sufferings of our lives.

His most recent drawings – a way of questioning and looking at the reality of the noisy polluted fragile life of ours - were culmination of those layers of expressions intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections. Although inspired by reality, they were semi-abstract and fictional -a metaphoric imagery letting way for hundreds of overlapping thoughts.

The sensitive artist's series showcased earlier this year was a curious blend of memory, our changing cityscape, and contrasting facets of modern society. The combination of all the hidden and complex layers made them semi abstract. Done over a time period of two years, it marked a departure from his earlier style - he employed a Rotring Pen for carving out the most intricate and meticulous, subtly experimenting with an array of base materials like glass, metal and mirrors.

Always keen to experiment, Sunil Pawal strives to challenge himself as an artist so as to avoid falling into a pattern, reinvent his technique, and set new parameters of creative excellence. For example, he has painted books made of wood with hand-painted cover, leaving the subject matter open to interpretation.

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