Bharat Thakur's Foray in Art Commences in Bangalore

Yoga Guru Bharat Thakur with his painting

Bharat Thakur's art is an extension of his philosophy towards life and living, and simultaneously, it is an exploration of the self and the spiritual. Although non-figurative, the paintings hint at observed narratives and personal vignettes. In the current exhibition, The Space Between, the entire body of works are abstracts which have evolved significantly in the last couple of decades. And they have become more textural, layered, and non-representational.

There is a greater fluidity in the application of the paint and an increase in depth as well, which has brought about a rhythmic and lyrical quality to it. The overall composition has an intrinsic harmony, which is highly evident in many of the works on display, where the use of light as a divine and serene element gives it a mystic and tranquil touch. At the same time, the combination of colours and rapid strokes suggest an almost effervescent energy which appears to be spilling out from the canvas.The black and white series has a mysterious quality to it.

There is some restraint that Thakur now depicts in his recent works, which helps to take it to another level. A prolific painter, the immediacy of the medium in acrylic and the process of painting - applying paint with his hands lend a tactile quality to the canvas. A compulsion to paint for several hours on a daily basis, the practice is in fact meditative for him – an extension of his yoga practice.

Leonardo da Vinci said that "Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen."And here, in the gallery, every work of Thakur is accompanied by a verse written by him - an evocative expression that draws the viewer in to explore both text and image.

The exhibition continues till 22nd Dec at Time and Space Art Gallery, Bangalore.

Art Buzz (Bangalore) Hellmuth Conz

Review – Group show by Kolkata artists

In this group show curated by Akumal Ramchander, there is an attempt to bring qualitative works at reasonable prices. Amongst the sixty odd paintings on display, there is quite a variety in terms of themes, styles of painting and also the mediums that have been used. The artists themselves form an eclectic group where a couple of them are in their early 20s and still studying, while others are at varying levels of their careers.

According to Akumal, he handpicked these eleven Kolkata based artists and encouraged them to create works that are not mundane or conventional. The themes may be universal but Akumal guided them when it came to the final presentation on the canvas. The results are definitely interesting and fortunately the experiment has generally worked, where most of the works are a little ‘different’, however a few fall short of expectations.

The collection features figurative works of Buddha, Krishna, Goddess Durga, adolescent girls, still life – flowers, vases, abstract lily ponds, and a few landscapes. Atin Basak, Prabir Das, Sudipta Tewary and a few others are fairly well established artists and their works are worth seeing. Basak’s etchings on paper stand out for their sheer luminescence, the graceful compositions along with the clever use of colors create a wonderful effect. Sudipta Tewary’s charcoal drawings are also skilled and the human faces are full of enigma (incidentally Tewary is a self taught artist). Prabir Das zeroes on an unusual subject – owls, he presents them against theatrical backgrounds, combining unusual elements such as flowers and scarecrows along with them. In one of the works an owl is perched on a scarecrow in the middle of the night while bright yellow flowers gleam in the surrounding darkness - the effect is quite dramatic and startling.

Subrota Sen’s impressionist style lily ponds in large format are a delight to watch, not in the same league as Monet, but nevertheless very pleasant. Unfortunately, the smaller floral works are fairly dull and appear a little contrived. The still life paintings by Swapan Saha are also pleasing to the eye and the works in mixed media on board by Dhiren Shasmal, an illustrator and painter, have a lot of detailing. The other figurative works by Ashoke Ganguly and Milan Das, and abstracts by Aruava Mondal are also interesting. In the collection, the landscapes are a little disappointing and the colors are too garish. Overall, the show is worth a look. Prices start at Rs 10,000.

The exhibition is on till December 11 at Time and Space art gallery, Bangalore.