ART CONNECT

20^th January 2020, 5.30 pm saw the coming together of 20 artists of Unique Society of Panchkula at recently opened underpass connecting sector 17, Chandigarh to the Rose garden. The paintings exhibited on easels were of varied themes and styles.

‘Untitled’ Vinod Arora’s compositions on a square format has an inter play of the  primary colours red , yellow , blue and daubs of green in varied tones ,the white spaces in between creating an intersection of  different planes . The subtle textures add an area of interest to the painting. ‘Towards the light’ by Vishwakarma with entwined forms of the tree trunk rendered in scarlet colour, seem to be  grounded on earth, surging  upward for release,  is it from the clutches of the unending cycle  of time .

Arika Kapur’s water with fishes frolicking in a pond of water lilies with an oriental background in contrast of reds and green creates visual depth. Bharti Sharma’s ‘Afternoon in Blue ’has melancholy overtones. A bespectacled figure seated looks up from his daily newspaper, in a background of Blue with the figure done in monochrome. The deep yellow of the frame and the rod in the foreground bring a perspective depth in the painting. ‘Leap forward’ by Ritu has a frog in white silhouette all poised to leap from its marshy green depths. Horse done in shades of umber by Kohli gallops forth, breaking the bonds of the mesh in the background. Jugdeep Jolly’s sculpture golden violinist adds an air of gaiety, its notes an harbinger of many a gala event.                   

The new underpass provides a much needed platform for the city artists to showcase their art works. It is a novel way of converting an otherwise dreary, lonely underpass to a colourful livened up vista. More so it takes the artists close to the audience who shy away from the formal display in public art galleries, providing a much needed informal display, resulting in close encounters with the audience. Hopefully it will open new horizons to the artists of Chandigarh to harness potential art lovers and provide an art connect.