If ‘Nature is the art of God’ as Dante Alighieri said, artists spend a lifetime recreating this art. Nature as a muse is not uncommon, rather few artists have remained uninfluenced by its perennial beauty.
And as Mehak Bhan of 105 Arts curates a group show of 13 artists from across the country, titled Naturally, but naturally myriad moods of nature come alive. More importantly, the exhibition echoes how artists from different regions, age groups approach, transform and translate nature.
National Award winner Ganapati Hegde from Bengaluru, for instance, seeks and finds meditation in the lap of nature. Flowers, trees, flying birds, leaves and more come together in his vibrant works, which are at once real and imaginative with a touch of playfulness and a fable-like element teasing our senses. Frog in a meditative pose could well be him, or us, or simply human consciousness enraptured by the beauty and calming presence of nature. Flowers like hibiscus, which distinguish his city, find an eminent place in his paintings. If nature is in his blood, his village background reinforces this bond further. Of course, what he recreates are not rural-scapes, but paintings redolent with flight of fantasy. Be it Golden Wings or Flying Pearl, you can actually feel birds soar in the expanse of nature’s bounties. By drawing attention to nature’s vast immeasurable wealth, he is also pointing out at what we may be losing if we don’t give back what we are receiving.
For Pappu Bardhan too nature is a constant companion. With the medium of acrylics he achieves translucent water colour effect as lotuses bloom in his riveting paintings. Hailing from politically charged Kolkata, lotus for him is certainly not a political symbol. Rather the flower is a metaphor for his roots. An alumnus of MS University of Baroda, which is known for its narrative style, in his works lotuses tell a story of his past and present. If I Am Coming Home is self- explanatory, a figure perched on the lotus leaves speaks volumes too.
While most artists find beauty in nature’s majestic splendour, Sucharita Sengupta Suri discovers it in the unusual shades. Mother of two, fantasises that often form the basis of her story telling sessions with her children invariably leap onto her water colour compositions. Living in Mumbai, mythical sea creatures like kelpie, the Scottish water horse, are a recurring motif. A design artist otherwise, her fascination for zoology manifests time and again. An owl in blue, a cabinet of curiosity with animal forms depicted as collectibles, majority of the works are devoted to fauna, mostly in muted hues.
Kalpvriksha is at the centre of Bhaskar Rao Botcha’s large sized acrylics on canvas. Contrasting white with robust reds and sparkling gold, the layering of pigments lends his compositions an unmistakable allure. Clearly none of his works have been made in a hurry, rather they stand as testimony to his labour of love as well as his inspiration that comes as much from impressionist painters like Claude Monet and Édouard Manet as his traditional roots. More recently, he has been using architectural shapes, both urban and traditional, to create yet another layer of visual dynamics.
Vinod Sharma’s Mindscape, akin to wondrous landscape, could well be labyrinths of human mind. Flower Market by Chaitali Chanda capturing the fragrance and flavour of flowers stands out as much for its expressive faces of flower-sellers. The majestic figures of elephants become one with natural habitats in Dolly Dhillon’s visually appealing oils on canvasses. Samir Mohanty’s Flying Habitat proves what a dexterous artist can achieve with volatile medium of water colours. Birds, flowers, branches acquire solid, tangible and incredibly irresistible charm. Sun-lit landscapes of Shuvankar Maitra, spontaneity flowing in Rashmi Pote’s monochromes, Manish Chavda’s unique perspective, Rakhee Shenoy’s mixed media works stitching an ode to memory and picnic times, clearly it is quite a visual feast.
Amidst the riot of colours, Anuja Lath’s ceramic works provide serenity and solidity of its own kind. If inspiration is all around her farm house, imagination too fires her kiln of creativity. Relationships become a reference point as one of her works is titled Three Sisters. Textures are integral to her works and she creates varying tones and gradations painstakingly. Functional ceramic works like lamps and pots too are an extension of her artistic impulses.
Hailing from City Beautiful, Anuja vouches for the city’s growing art awareness and love for collecting art. Studio 105 Arts takes pride in being a bridge between artists, art lovers and collectors. For now, it also brings viewers 13 steps closer to nature. “To the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself,” said William Blake. See it with the same eye.
