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. .....what I perceive of Art
 

Over the years I have painted, evolved. What I painted thirty years ago looks obsolete now. What I conceive now, is so distant from say, just the last decade. Non-representational forms do not satisfy my artistic sensitivity any more. My travels and experiences have changed my attitude and concepts.

My stay in Singapore not only brought me close to the rhythm of sea waves, but taught me to be `better than the best'. Japan showed me that true beauty lay in Nature alone. Their closeness to nature was evident in creations of bonsai, miniature paintings and gardens, where the smallest space could contain a suggestion of so much and yet be so aesthetic. My creativity was further enriched by the study of rural life in India.

Amidst such serenity lay calm and solace. My creativity took a turn to portraying realistic art forms which speak for themselves. Vivacious rural folks in colorful attire. Folks that are contented and relaxed despite adversities and blissfully ignorant of the urban tensions. Through folk expressions I convey my emotions and love for life and embark on a sentimental journey --far from the maddening hustle bustle of urban life.

In my studio when I face a blank canvas, some ideas from the subconscious float and I get transported into another state of consciousness. My thoughts bring gentle delicate forms, moments captured in the natural world, compassionate faces of camels, colorful peacocks and exotic flowers. A complete frame sets in and I am overtaken with a desire to create that happy mood. Sometimes I am unable to recreate the exact mood but when I am able to, it is like a spiritual experience... which helps commune with God.

Life is also full of misery and I personally feel that harsh topics are not for the pleasure of painting. Topics of violence, disasters, disorder and shock, do not satisfy my aesthetic sensibility. When I am agonised at times, with the seriousness and complexities of life, in deep hurt and turmoil, I recollect myself in the calm of music, and try to understand the meaning of life. For me, music is a balm which brings inner joy and cheer and takes me away from those agonising moments.

At times I am ill at ease, with so little time on hand. I would like to give more care to my bonsai, arrange Ikebana, play with clay, sit in my garden, play with my pet or simply cook something new. Every minute is so precious that one must keep moving all the time.

While painting I do not understand what creative processes I am undergoing or which influences are working on me. Only when I exhibit with a desire to communicate with the outside world, looking at my works in totality, I realise where I have arrived and what I perceive of life. ....Perhaps I love to live with natural beauty and harmony from which I derive greatest pleasure.

- Madhu

   

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