“INFINITE SPACE” Solo Show of Paintings by well-known artist Virendra Kumar

This show will be inaugurated on 5^th November 2024 at 5pm by Honorable Guests Dr. Uttam V. Jain (Patron Hindustan Chamber of Commerce),

Virendra Kumar

Shri. Rajendra Patil(Eminent Artist & Ex Teaching Faculty, Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai), Shri. Mahendra Kalantri(Director Acclaim Systems (I) Pvt. Ltd. ), Shri. Sanjay Nikam (Eminent Artist & Art Curator)

Virendra Kumar is an experimental and versatile Indian Painter who has graduated from Patna Arts and Crafts College, Patna University, India in 1997. Born in Bihiya Village, in Bhojpur District of Bihar, Virendra Kumar had a very happy childhood. His village like all villages in Bihar is very rich in the traditional folk arts. He drew inspiration from watching his mother, aunts and other family member painting and decorating their homes by painting on walls during festivals and weddings.

So Virendra was constantly surrounded by not only vibrant colours, celebrations of festivals with music and dance but was fortunate enough to get maximum encouragement from his own art-loving family. His father too was art oriented and strongly supported his decision to be an artist.

Love for Nature, curiosity, hard work, love and dedication for art are the qualities that motivated Virendraji to follow his creative quest with unusual commitment and passion.

His paintings today are magnificently serene, contemplative in spirit and rich in their depth. One can say that Virendra Kumar's paintings are exquisite creations of pure abstraction. In these paintings, we find an element of mystery and sense of musical rhythm. In other words, these are poetic configurations of abstract forms, all passionately rendered, which emerge like dreamscapes bathed in shimmering or muted hues of overlapping contours of abstract lines and forms, vibrant colours all intricately worked out in richly textured, visual symphony.  

       

Virendra Kumar navigates the spaces with consummate skill. There is a playful yet intense engagement with juxtaposition of forms and colours.

While dealing with spaces, the artist has very brilliantly escaped the constraints of 'traditional composition'. Spontaneity and mystic depths created through multilayered abstract forms, spaces are enlivened by vibrant colours like ultramarine blues, jade greens, ruby reds, topaz yellows, blues and Verdean greens and many more hues. These visuals also carry different space divisions and contours that hint at certain abstracted forms of landscape, city dwellings and many more interesting elements.

A discerning viewer is drawn deeper into these meditative paintings to discover worlds within worlds. These paintings linger on in the viewer's memory and touch the viewer's heart. Apart from family support, Virendra Kumar was also inspired by great masters like Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Indian artists like Ram Kumar, Natvar Bhavsar, V.S. Gaitonde too have impressed his painterly mind.

Virendra believes when he says "the artist's space, as blank canvas invites many challenges" He describes how while traveling in a plane he has often discovered the magical optical illusion that takes place when "we look out of the window, at the earth below, the landscape transforms into a maze of tiny dots - he explains.

My Art works are theme based, climate changes, environmental issues and the problematic human impacts to life on earth are all subjects, I creates new paintings, using the abstract expressionistic style to express modern social issues and raise awareness through his art. I am trying to show the beauty of nature in the beautiful valleys of the Himalayas. We see some cities situated in the mountains which look very beautiful but there our nature has also been hurt in some way or the other.

Virendra says "All my works are abstract. To reach this point or peak of abstraction I have to work hard, day and night."

Dividing these spaces or creating different planes for perception, in the available artist's space are handled by Virendra with masterly dexterity and artistic sensitivity. Virendraji's creative process centers around the battle, between chance and control from which his energetic yet meditative paintings are born, this phenomenon happens through a series of spontaneous reactions based on intuition.

Virendra's abstract techniques continuously evolve through extreme experimentation, using custom handmade tools, chemicals and textures.

The end results are magnificent paintings, richly sensuous and sublime at the same time. Virendra Kumar is not only a versatile and prolific painter, he has also organized several artist camps, both in India and abroad. Virendra, is a multidimensional Artist who has worked with many different mediums, such as sculpture, photography and installation art.

Recipient of several national and international awards, his works have been exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions in major Galleries in India, U.K., U.ae., Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal, Uganda, Mauritius, Burma, Kuwait, including Fame Art Gallery in Belgium, Gallery of Light Dubai, Gallery 76 Dubai, Wilesden Gallery in London, Nehru Center Gallery in London and many private collections around the world. Virendra was featured on the Indian television channel DD Bharati, and many television Channels and his work can be found in corporate collections throughout India as well as in private collections worldwide.

Sumati Gangopadhyay 

( Senior Artist and Art Critic )

 M.S. University – Vadodara