Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Waiting to break free
|
Sudesh Mahan's works are deceptively simple, characteristic of a great artist. One has to take a second look before one begins to understand, let alone love them.
|
Lines play an important role in the works.
THOSE WHO swear by love at first sight would have been compelled to change their minds after viewing The Birds Within - an exhibition of paintings by Sudesh Mahan. For, each of the works on display had the deceiving simplicity characteristic of a great artist, and one certainly had to take a second look before one begam to understand, let alone love Mahan's work.
The larger number of the works Mahan chose to show at the Chitrakala Parishat were oil on canvas, with a few watercolours on paper, both comprising mostly bright colourful backgrounds, with small portions of light colours upon which appear numerous lines. The lines play an important role here - the disordered lines define stylised semi-abstract forms, illuminated by the coloured patches of the background.
As lines are part of every artwork, one might think that the execution of these lines is a simple task, but to place these lines with absolute simplicity and yet convey deep meanings requires mastery. The usage of such lines is not unknown to students of art, who use them in the practice of key sketches, and it was a delight for the student to see the way in which Mahan has used lines to portray different emotions, for example, the work in which he portrays something as complex as shame in a laidback manner.
In the collection of "visual memories and reflections", as one began to absorb the images, becoming engrossed in them, going deeper and deeper, one saw that the visuals symbolise theatre forms. Mahan's theatre background has influenced his art to a great extent, and theatre appears as a major theme in his work. Mahan spent the larger part of his working life in theatre, only more recently having turned to painting.
One of the most powerful paintings from among the group in The Birds Within is the work titled "Suthradar". Here, Mahan depicts the suthradar (narrator) as a triumphant figure, someone in full control of the stage, we feel as if the character has an overflowing stream of energy and is trying to enact all the scenes in a single stroke.
At first viewing, there is a certain feeling that the works are overly stylised, but on repeated viewings, this thought is eased out. Mahan uses a good deal of variety in his depictions of the parts, which form life. Works such as "Theatre", "Urban Couple", and "Shame" are good examples. The flavour and texture of urban life in his work are brought alive with vivid anecdotal skill, thus yielding a vision that is both wry and profound.
The work "The Birds Within" showed the birds breaking free from the chaos of life, untangling themselves, and appear to illustrate the free spirit within awaiting a chance to escape to freedom. The work functions at various levels - it appears at once as a subtext about the artist's openness to the world, as well as a comment on repercussions from personal experience.
Though sometimes Mahan's colours reminds us of Yusuf Arakkal's colour schemes and technique, thankfully, he manages to carry on with his own unique style and quality and the unpretentious, underplayed quality of Mahan's work helped the viewer navigate the flow of ideas upon the canvas without too much trouble.
Mahan's works display a startling contemporary underpinning, which is bound to reach out to younger art lovers.
One remembers that to become truly mature, one must be able to regain the earnestness of a child at play.
MAHIMA CHAITANYA
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
