The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Academy has started a new
initiative, PARIKARMA, a Short Art Residency programme at Open Hand Art Studio at
Le Corbusier Centre located in Sector- 19. Four eminent Delhi based artists, Mr
Prem Singh, Mrs Shobha Broota, Mr Moti Zharotia and Mr Kalicharan Gupta are part
of this residency started on 12th September and ending on 15th
September. Each day after the day’s artwork is done, these artists give an
audio visual presentation about their work followed by an interactive session.
Mr Prem Singh
Symphony on Canvas
The first day of the workshop, on 12th September 2019, Mr
Prem Singh, former Principal of the Government College of Art Chandigarh, talked
about his life and his art works .He spoke about his childhood, how his friends
during their game play were the first to recognize his talent as an artist. Realizing
his potential in art, he further honed his skills as an artist and then there
was no looking back .His first stint with fame as an artist was the selection
of his painting, that of a flower pot in Lalit Kala during his college days.
In his earlier works, there is an interesting painting showing
children playing hopscotch (stappu). Only the drawing of hopscotch is made on
the ground to represent their play, next to this is a cot and a figure lying beside
it. Reflecting simplicity, this flat pictorial work has an alluring quality .The
simplicity of the artist comes to the fore, giving an insight to the wondrous world
of artworks he is set to embark on.
The artist moves to a
mature phase of paintings, depicting his famous veiled female figures. His wife
being his muse, who at that time used to wear a veil. There is a haunting
quality in these paintings, especially that of a tree and a veiled women next
to it.
None of these works prepare you with the pain and anguish
that reflects in his works post 1984 riots in India, titled ‘Images of the
scarred city’. In these works, the grief does seemingly engulf the viewer, the
wail and cries of the grief-stricken rent the air; the veiled figures, here
stand for the numerous unknown bereaved families. Rumi aptly says that ‘the
wound is the place where the light enters you’. Here in this phase of art work,
the artist in a very sombre style conveys his hurt on the lack of humanity in society.
He now embarks to a journey where abstraction in art takes
over. His experiments with water and colour culminate to a pinnacle and at this
juncture, one of his painting gets awarded in Triennale India International.
His soul search continues
in his paintings; the play of colour, the myriad forms now create symphonies on
his canvas. Most eloquent is the expression of the emotions expressed without
words, and he does just that, for he masters the art of representing the formless
with interplay of forms.
His present day works devoid of colour, are drawings in black
and white and have taken a spiritual turn.
No comments:
Post a Comment