Beauty of life under the sea and in the deserts

A shoal as a metaphor in a wondrous, watery world
New Delhi based artist Ashok Gulati's captivating creations look to merge aesthetical elements into mystical ones. His new series on view at Mumbai's Lansdowne Gallery, depicts a lustrous life under the sea.

Curator of the show, Pranali Daundker, mentions in an accompanying note: 'The artist's present work is not unique just as picturesque metaphors for uniformity but also because the same theme is variously interpreted in a striking hue of colours.'

The series of works, titled 'A shoal in', on view till third week of September, is all about the mystery of life that he looks to unravel, with an unwavering resolve and refinement. The artist paints a wondrous waterscape where one's mind and soul gets attuned to deep, mystical buzz created by ripples of the sea waves that bring to fore bunches of fish and other aquatic life forms, generating a soothing symphony and a sense of harmony.

There are about 25 canvasses on view that fathom and demystify the depth of life under the deep waters. 'They are a creation of a mysterious life, woven through forms, spaces, colours and patterns,' he reveals.

The artist's ideas, themes and processes amalgamate into a m'lange of fabulous floating forms that sail silently on vast expanses of a canvas, resembling a wondrous watery world, stirring and stimulating, albeit serene at some level. Employing his intimate understanding of the Nature coupled with a rhythmical feeling for line and form, the artist has created fascinating fish-like forms that indulge in an aquatic, energy-building game of kinetics and balance. The forms, balanced among each other rhythmically, build a sense of movement.

Another striking feature of his works is usage of vibrant colours that dazzle the viewers. His paintings are soaked in dazzling shades, predominantly yellow, red, blue and green. Ashok Gulati's new canvasses exude an elegant splash of aqua blue and aqua green.

Capturing the colours of the desert
Artist Rameshwar Singh has a fascination for antiquity. He goes back to India's artistic and cultural roots in search of the country's rich traditions to put them in context of the contemporary. His new exhibition titled 'The Colours of the Desert' is a continuation of his search.

Paintings by the artist are being showcased at Chennai based Vinnyasa art gallery till September 20, 2007. The captivating canvasses on view capture the beauty of Rajasthan, India's 'desert' state. He mentions: 'The people of this desert state have compensated for vast blank stretches of land with bright colours in every aspect of life. I constantly move in the interiors to study the people, their culture and their lifestyle. I come across different art forms during my journey. I interact with the people to understand how they associate themselves with art they create.'

Though a nostalgic mood pervades in his work, it's essentially contemporary. The artist elaborates that it's like an artistic excavation in an effort to link the past to the present. Through my paintings, I pay tribute to our cultural tradition that can never be outdated, he has once stated. The artist also draws inspiration from India's ancient scriptures, architecture and artifacts. Old calligraphy, scripts and architecture also seize his mind.

Rameshwar Singh's canvasses are textured and layered over and over. He likes to embellish and decorate them. A line with a shadow, cutting across the canvass, gives a sense of perspective to the painting.

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