Red Sky Blue Earth

Priya Suneel graduated from the University of Madras, attaining a Degree in Fine Arts with Distinction and the Government of India Merit Scholarship. Priya has been exhibiting her work since 1982. She has shown with the Society of Women Artists in their annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in Trafalgar Square. Her work was shown as part of the Patchings Festival winners display Exhibition at Nottinghamshire and with the Society of Nigerian Artists at their annual exhibitions in Nigeria. Her practice incorporates painting, mixed media, and drawing with inroads into three dimensional works and is infused with the world cultures of London, India, Nepal and Nigeria where she has lived and worked.

Artist: Priya Suneel

Priya says that one of the reasons she makes collages is because the process reinvigorates or redirects her painting process. She studies the structure, palettes or the colors in the architecture, landscape, interior or the clothing and flesh of the model before her eyes, and searches for ways to depict them through placement of shaped bits. She captures the essences of these palettes by generating color fields or sensations entirely through juxtaposition of textile fabric, acrylic skins, paper or found objects. These collages are masterful displays of the cumulative effects of color. Priya focuses on the play of light and shadow across bare flesh, the ways in which skin tones are constructed, and the way volumes and planes come into being entirely through juxtaposition of colors. As the viewer takes in the work a sort of subliminal blending takes place because each bit of the textured material remains physically autonomous on the actual surface of the artwork, but we experience a flowing interrelationship of parts because of Priya’s profound understanding of color. Neighboring snippets of the found objects blend to form a unified field of color when the collage is seen from a distance or through squinting eyes.

In The Emergence, Priya creates bust of papier-mâché, wire and textile the artist describes shadowy concavities, fleshy highlights on rounded face, bone and muscle structure, suggestively the lovely tan and olive subtleties of flesh tones, with tiny, straight edged, triangular and rectangular snippets of fabric. The manner of the collages is meticulously self-effacing, allowing shifts in value and color to overshadow materials and process. Indeed, color is her true gift. Sophisticated modulations of closely valued tones make for rich and spacious pictures. In Tulips in a Pitcher, Priya offsets and enlivens a virtually monochromatic image with a range of yellows, greens, pinks and blues. It is, in its own quiet way, a bravura performance.

In the collages of landscapes such as Red Fox and Townhouse Chelsea, the sides and roofs of houses, the horizon line, the foreground and background, the earthbound natural and inorganic structures, and the deep space of sky, are flattened out. Priya does not flatten out three dimensional forms and present a surround view of them in a systematic way. Everything doesn’t add up. She chooses graphically striking indicators of particular objects and rhythmically locks them together, without relinquishing the sense of place portraying light and atmosphere. These collages explore the primary formal strengths of color. Depending on the tone, light and shadow are richly depicted; light wending its way through a landscape or still life. The collage elements play dual roles. They are formal elements in a strong flat array of balanced colors, and they also suggest three dimensionality. In the background planes, walls, or earth and sky are broken up into interlocking pieces, which push elements forward, the human figure, the house, still life objects. The tactile process entailed in this vacillation of compositional elements energizes these surfaces.

'Tulips in a Pitcher', mixed media collage on canvas, 44x54cms, Priya Suneel

In Street in Jodhpur the collage elements are centered, surrounded by blank space that also punctures the cluster of shapes. Certainly the individual parts add up to a particular place, but they are not as tightly interlocked or grounded in space. These free floating descriptive signs make us see a scooter, fence, trees, but they gently coalesce and resist being tightly interlocked, simultaneously. These shapes when combined with smaller shapes within the original large shape become distinct shapes. So you may have a shape that may be partly in the prominent and partly in the supporting. There is often one prominent shape in the composition that the eye goes to first and then travels on from there. You want to find a shape in the house, but not the whole house, and a shape in the tree, but not the whole tree, that together forms a larger more complex shape that the viewer sees first, before they see the house and tree. After that, more slowly, they will see this shape within the larger shape is part of a house and this is part of a tree. You are making the viewer read the painting, slowing down their looking.

The Biomes, Eden Project, Cornwall, one of the fascinating works in the exhibition, is a perfect example of the ways in which Priya can create complex color sensations using a minimal amount of colored pieces of paper that have been carefully cut in order to maintain the visual flow of the figure. The shadows and highlights and voluptuous folds in the structure are depicted with grey, brown and liver colored bits of paper. In fact the work was created live, au plein aire, during the televised recording of "Landscape Artist of the Year 2022" and was telecast nationally on Sky Arts (Sky TV Network). Priya was one of the privileged artists selected to participate as pod artist in the national telecast programme. Priya gets into the expressive essence of complex tonal ranges and under painting as she reconstructs the emotional content of the shapes and colors. Her path as an artist has been characterized by strikingly fresh work noted for its clarity and sensitivity thus defining Red Sky Blue Earth.

 

Abhijeet Gondkar

(Abhijeet Gondkar is an independent writer and curator based in Mumbai)

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Priya Suneel

Red Sky Blue Earth

Mixed-Meadia Collages, 28^th August to 3^rd September 2023

Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai – 400 001, Between 11 am and 7 pm daily

 

"Chitra-Reshha" exhibition by Shieital Sonawane - Ugale Artist Architect at Jehangir Art gallery

रंगविलेल्या आकारांतून साधलेली कलाकृती म्हणजे चित्र, अशी चित्राची सर्वसामान्य व्याख्या करता येते. रंगविण्याच्या प्रक्रियेतच चित्र घडले जाते. इंग्रजीतील ‘पेंटीग’ या शब्दाचा अर्थ ‘रंगविण्याच्या क्रिये’पुरताच मर्यादित आहे; पण चित्रकलेच्या क्षेत्रात लेपनाची क्रिया, रंग-कुंचला- भावगर्भ आकृती प्रत्यक्ष शारीर रूप म्हणजे चित्रकृती. कधी ते बहुतांश वस्तुनिष्ठ असते, तर कधी वस्तुनिरपेक्ष अप्रतिरूप आकारातून उदित होते. 

साधनांची गुणवत्ता, कलावंताच्या भावजाणिवांचे चित्राकृतीतील प्रतिबिंब इ. सर्व सर्जनप्रक्रियांचा अंतर्भाव ‘पेंटीग’ या संज्ञेमध्ये होतो. चित्राकृतीचा अनुभव घेण्यास काही काळ हा लागतोच., चित्राकृतीचा अनुभव अवकाशसिद्ध आणि कालानुवर्ती असतो. म्हणजे हा अनुभव घेण्यास काही काळ हा लागतोच. परिणती होऊन समतोलन होते. चित्र आणि चित्रकार या बाबतीत मी खुप संवेदनशील विचार करते. कला कलेची आस्था त्यात सृजन शोधणं म्हणून माझं क्युरेटर हे आवडतं काम आहे. 

आर्किटेक्ट, चित्रकार शीतल सोनवणे- उगले  राहणार नाशिक. गेल्या वर्षभरापासुन. तिच्याशी तिच्या चित्रा बदल आणि तिच्या बदल चर्चा करत आहे. मी एखाद्याला एक व्यक्ती म्हणून खुप तटस्थ पणे पाहते. कोणतीही परिस्थिती ती उत्तम हाताळू शकते.ती तीचे विचारातुन आलेली कलाकृती ह्या तात्रिकं दृष्ट्या कमी जरी असेल तर तो सरावाचा भाग आहे. पण विचाराने आणि तिच्या व्यक्तीषा वागण्याने निर्णय घेण्याने, वेळ देण्याने ही चित्र तीच्या सारखी आहेत. चित्र सृजनात्मक होताना ती कॅनव्हास पुढे विचाराने एकदम नागंडी आहे. आणि तिच्या वृत्ती अतिशय अचुक पणे मांडते. या पुर्ण प्रक्रीयेत मी तीला अनेकदां गोंधळात करू पाहीले, काही नाही तर अनेक विचार व चित्र मी नाकारली, अनेकदा विचारांची देवाण घेवाण केली. ह्यात ती मला ठाम वाटली.

अनेकदा तात्विक वाद झाले. पण तीला मी सुचवलेले बदल स्विकारणे, ऐकणे,समजुन घेणे ही गोष्ट माणसाला उत्कृष्ट करते. खर्या कलाकारा मध्ये माणुसकी असणे माझ्या दृष्टीकोनतुन खुप महत्वाचे आहे. त्यामुळे मी तिच्या चित्राचा स्विकार केला,विचाराचा स्विकार केला आणि आनंद होता कि मनापासून ती तीचे विचार चित्रातून  स्पष्टपणे मांडते . तिच्या कलाकृतींमध्ये कविता मध्ये स्त्रियांचे भावविश्व प्रतिबिंबित होते. प्रत्येक पेंटिंगचा आधार ठळक  रंगांचे मिश्रण आहेत जे तपशीलात प्रवाही तंत्र तिच्या मधील प्रतिमेत आयुष्यातील घटकांचा उबदारपणा  समृद्धपणा त्याचबरोबर असणारी उर्जा स्व :चा शोध शांतता याचे योग्य संतुलन दिसते. 

जी पेंटिंगमधून प्रवाही आणि अखंडपणे वाहते. तीचे चित्र बघतान तीच्यातलं कणखरपणा प्रखर खुबीने ती व्यक्त करते. स्वताला चित्रातून माडंताना स्वीकारताना ते फिगर मध्ये उमटतात. तीनं परिश्रमाने स्वताची शैली निर्माण केली आहे. कलेचे वैशिष्ट्य म्हणजे विकसीत करत, त्या कलेत एकरूप होणे तीला सहज जमते. प्रत्येकांच्या जीवनात लपलेले असे ओझे चढ उतार सामाजिक भाव बंधनाचा परिघ असतो. जो प्रत्येकाचा एक सखोल प्रवास असतो ज्यात बुद्धी मन शरीरा नुसार जरी आपण प्रतिमा आणि त्याच्या भावनिक छटा रेखाटताना ज्ञान, ध्येय, मर्यादा याचा समतोल साधत समर्पण असते .जिथे सातत्याने स्व चा ही शोध आपलं अस्तित्व शांतता शोधत असते

शिव शक्तीचा अशं म्हणजे आपली उर्जा याचां सतत शोध सुरू असतो .

ह्यात प्रामुख्याने आपण वेचतचं वेगवेगळे टप्पे गाठतो भुतकाळ आणि भविष्य या पेक्षा वर्तमान शी साधर्म्य साधणारी स्त्री सक्षम क्षमता राखुन शोध घेताना, तीला ब्ररशचा सुरेख वापर कॅनव्हास करताना पाहणं आणि ब्रश स्ट्रोक, आणि तीव्र  रंगांचा वापर जे अभिव्यक्तीवादाच्या शैलीचे प्रतीक आहे. रंगयुक्त आकार हे चौकटीत ज्या रीतिपद्धतीने क्षेत्र व्यापतात, परस्परांशी आणि चौकटीशी नाते जोडतात, त्यावरून त्यांचे गुणमूल्य आणि भावगर्भता ठरते. उदा., चित्रित मनुष्याकृतीचा चेहराच चौकटीत दिसावा इतकी ती मोठी आहे, की पूर्णाकृती दिसावी इतकी मोठी, की चौकटीत हरवून गेल्यासारखी वाटावी इतकी लहान आहे; तिची मांडणी  आकारांची व्याप्ती व अव्याप्ती सापेक्ष असते. चौकटीत भरलेल्या व्याप्त आकारांच्या तुलनेने उरलेले क्षेत्र अव्याप्त वाटते इतकेच. प्रत्यक्षात मात्र अव्याप्त क्षेत्रालाही काहीएक आकार अव्याप्त क्षेत्र  भावनांवर भर देते कलेची सूत्र चित्रकलेतील भावाविष्काराच्या आकलनात अत्यंत उपकारक ठरली आहे. विविध रंगभाव, रंगभार आणि रंगविस्तार एकमेकांवर संस्कार करीत प्रकट होतात. वर्णयुक्त रंग विशुद्ध असल्याने रंगभाव तीव्र उत्कट असतो. तांबडा⟶ तांबडानारिंगी ⟶ नारिंगी ⟶ नारिंगी पांढरा⟶ पांढरा असे भारतीय रंग श्रेणी पेंटींग मध्ये दिसतात.अभिव्यक्तीवाद कलाकाराच्या भावनांचे मनुष्याकृती विषय पुरक चित्रण मिळवण्याचा प्रयत्न करतो. अभिव्यक्तीवादक, यांनी अगदी बरोबर निदर्शनास आणून दिले की अभिव्यक्तीवादामध्ये "अगम्य कल्पना स्वतःला न समजण्याजोग्या स्वरूपात व्यक्त करतात" पेंटिंग्ज आणि ते "अगम्य आणि न समजण्याजोगे" यांना जोडतात. खरं तर, अभिव्यक्तीवाद नेमके तेच करतो, तो कलाकाराला न समजण्याजोग्या स्वरूपात व्यक्त होण्यास मदत करतो ज्याद्वारे तो कलाकृतीचे सार सांगणाऱ्या कलाकाराच्या जगात दर्शकांना पोर्टल करतो. शरीरानुसार मन आणि बुद्धी भिन्न असते, परंतु आत्मा एकच राहतो. ते परम चैतन्य आहे. शक्ती आणि शिव यांचे त्यांच्या अंतिम वास्तव. अस्तित्व हे असीम व्यक्तीशी असलेले व्यक्तीचे नाते म्हणून परिभाषित केले जाऊ शकते.

कलाकृतींमध्ये अभिव्यक्तीवादी शैली आत्मसात करून आशा, उत्साह, एकांत, शांततेची मर्यादा आणि यासारख्या गोष्टी व्यक्त होते. - Text by Heena Sk 

Artist: Shieital sonawane

Step into the enchanting world of self-realization through Chitra Reshha. 

Since few years, I've been exploring the world of architecture and art, but now I'm taking a bold leap into the realm of poetry and painting with my  “Chitra-Reshha” series. I want you to imagine a captivating fusion of heartfelt verses and mesmerizing paintings, all woven together to take you on a profound journey of self-realization.  “Chitra-Reshha” is all about celebrating the journey of women, exploring our triumphs, struggles, and everything in between.With my background in architecture, I bring a unique perspective to my artworks, infusing them with an eye-catching blend of form and emotion.“Chitra-Reshha” is a true expression of my soul, embracing the raw beauty of vulnerability and self-discovery. And this journey is keeping my emotions in motion

Artist statement : 

My journey as an artist started when I was young child and did not know how to express my feelings. Can fear be expressed? If so then how? In childhood I still remember I chose to express fear in the form of monster. Yes, ‘a monster’ and through this as an innocent child, I told my parents, “if they don’t listen to me”, then he will harm them. This is what I heard of monster in the school. With time things changed and I started taking more interest in drawing. I remember of my drawing being selected and sent to Mauritius for the exhibition. Later, when I was in 8th standard, I won the ‘Bal Kala Ratna Puraskar’. Since then I have been expressing my thoughts in my works. I graduated as an architect but my experiments also have grown with colours and arts over the years. This has always helped me in my profession as an architect also.

 Shietal Sonavane and jackie Shorff at jehangir  art gallery

After completing degree in architecture B.Arch and years of practice in India; her destiny took her to America. Being born in India, a rich cultural heritage had provided her with tremendous inspiration towards painting art. 

During 2014-2016 Shital has explored her two  series of paintings named “Legacy of India” and  "Narayani Bhaava" a female emotion at America. Her motive was to give audience a chance to learn, respond and feel comfortable with self emotions which are deep in everyone's soul. 

Staying in America and understanding all the situations and needs between us and them, Shital felt to initiate her knowledge of art and architecture that is She can do the unification of "Art of Emotion and Heart of Technics" for development of children of our country. So somehow somewhere we can fill the gap of educational upbringing differences between west and us.

Shital’s  dream made her to start an Art centre 

"a creative kuteer" in 2016 where children explore creative ideas. Children being provided an outlet for their emotions through colors,mud,canvases etc. They confidently throw their thoughts to the world and give them knowledge of universe to open up their eternal range living experience.Since last 3 years Shital has trained more than 500 children for creative vision.

Shital is successfully working in interior and architecture projects at her associate office in Banglore “design centre” to bring society close to heritage,art and culture through conceptual designs and execution. 

Shital,as a creative leader and columnist is expressing her thoughts on “Kala,Culture and Mind” at Lokmat Times every week. 

A true champion of women empowerment who has been recognised with out-of-box concepts and creative executions,Shital has often cited as an example of hard work and knowledge

Show Modarator by Heen SK and Artist Shieital Sonawane _ JAG -Kala Ghoda

"Chitra-Reshha"  exhibition by Shieital Sonawane - Ugale Artist Architect

Date: 21st August to 27th 2023

Time: 11am to 7pm

•Modarator by Heena SK 

• Instagram: @chitrareshha 

Jehangir Art gallery, 161B, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India.

Holding the Flow, letting it go...

Nivas Kanhere's works are characterised by the forces of acceptance and negation. Yet, the acceptance is not prima facie. Indeed, the more colourful works were done mostly during the extended pandemic period, as if in an attempt to disprove the doom. These works propose an ode to the vibrancy of (once-) lived surroundings. As the city regained its radiance, Kanhere  reclused to the blues and greys. The expanses of unlived spaces made their presence felt in his works. Can this be called escapist? Is abstraction an escape from the real?

Untitled  Oil on Linen   30'' x 40'‘

'No' is the obvious answer, as binaries of real- unreal are ineffective and the two realms often coexist in all creative ventures. Though loosely concerned with his surroundings, Kanhere seems to be more attached to the paints and canvases in his studio. The hues of blue and grey led him to explore what we might call the depths. Decelerated roller strokes formed sedate squares that encased oceans. The changes in artist's body-rhythm can be deciphered in other works, too.

From brisk actions of palette-knife that often form triangular shapes, to the expansive movements of a roller; from a play of paint that engenders myriad hues to an ascetism that keeps layers of paint visible, Kanhere gels the technical possibilities with his quest for exploration of space.

The space turns lived experiences to dream sequences, and informs the unreal expanses with real-life situations. Perhaps one of the earliest childhood memories for Nivas Kanhere, has been that of this play between the finite and infinite, the tangible and intangible. As a seven-year old, he would sit for hours beside a village stream, dip his tiny hands into its flow and took a deep look at the handful of a stream. Sometimes the stream within his hands came with extra dash of life- a small fish. Soon after that deep look, the artist-child would place hands in the flow again, while the water in hands started its voyage to faraway places, the hand had another water to look at. The child held the flow, and let it go.

 

 Untitled, Oil on Linen, 60'' x 120'‘

Nivas Kanhere still does that, with his paints and canvases.

 

-- Abhijeet Tamhane,

Mumbai, August 2023.  

 

"Whispers of the Wilderness" at Jehangir Gallery

Art enthusiasts and nature lovers are in for a treat as the Jehangir Art Gallery proudly presents "Whispers of the Wilderness," an exquisite art exhibit by Vinita Sadarangani. The show will take place from 8th to 14th August 2023, between 11 am and 7 pm.

Artist: Vinita Sadarangani

 

Step into a world where art and nature converge, as Vinita Sadarangani takes you on a mesmerizing journey through her collection of beautiful and reflective artworks. The exhibit promises to transport visitors to the heart of the forest, where trees transform into storytellers, revealing tales of wonder and serenity. Within the enchanting tapestry of this showcase, a profound purpose unfolds, inviting nature enthusiasts to join hands in the noble quest for safeguarding our beloved forests.

Drawing inspiration from the Impressionist movement, Vinita's paintings masterfully blend loose brushwork, vibrant colors, and an impeccable understanding of light and atmosphere. Through a fusion of Impressionism and abstraction, she breaks away from conventional representation, delving into the realm of emotions and interpretations. Each canvas becomes a captivating symphony of colors and shapes, inviting viewers to explore their connections and responses to the artwork.

 

Through her paintings, Vinita aspires to create a sanctuary of emotions, where hearts find solace and spirits soar.  This enchanting exhibit at the Jehangir Art Gallery, a celebration of art and nature promises to leave you awe-inspired.

Press Release

From: 8^th to 14^th August 2023

"Whispers of the Wilderness"

Solo show of Paintings by contemporary artist Vinita Sadarangani

 

VENUE:

Jehangir Art Gallery

161-B, M.G. Road,

Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400 001

Timing: 11am to 7pm

Contact: +91 9892969660

Website: https://artbyvinita.com/