An assorted stroke

A piece of art is not just colours splashed on a canvas and hung on the wall, nor is it a piece of pottery to be just put up in your house. A piece of art is a testimony of triumphs and tribulations that the artist had to go through to come up with the work. Indian art is no different but has come a long way when one talks about the textures and mediums used. There has been a major ideological shift where artists have expressed a plethora of emotions. With the aim to celebrate this, a collection of artworks was recently set up at the Art Magnum Gallery under the banner name of Caravan.

The exhibits on display were a mix of paintings on different mediums, be it oil, acrylic or watercolour.

By Sanjib Gogoi

The artists on display were M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, Jamini Roy, Arup Das, alongside many upcoming contemporary artists.

As the curious mind wanders, it asks a question — why were these works under the banner of Caravan? Saurabh Singhvi, curator and the owner of the gallery, explains that the idea of naming the show thus came from his desire to showcase the journey of Indian art. “It is different periods of Indian art being displayed here,” he says. He points out that narrowing down the works from every era of Indian art was a challenge as each one represents ‘an ocean’ of works. “We had chosen artworks which are very typical of the artist’s style,” he continues.

Interestingly, the exhibition room had a balanced look to it, with  a mix of creations that used dark and light colours. Saurabh explains that balancing art is very important and it was crucial to choose works that complement edeach other. He adds, “The idea is that the work has to stand out even if they are not bright, striking to the eyes.”

The works of Sanjib Gogoi, one of the artists on display, mostly derived inspiration from the villages and cities of India. Hence, there was a certain amount of earthiness there.

By Sanjib Gogoi

He explains, “We don’t see such huge buildings in villages. I was surrounded by a lot of greenery growing up and now this concrete life has made its place in our subconscious mind as well.” The other eye-catching feature was the innocence and purity that exists in these paintings.

According to Saurabh, it is extremely easy to lose oneself in the innocence these paintings possess. He shares, “If you are an art lover, then you will lose yourself in these works. There is nothing wrong with it. Innocence comes from the fact that these artists are dedicated to their work.”