His Shakespeare is a rich tapestry of colour, in shades of red, green, yellow and orange-brown into which words and figures are melded. Shakespeare himself peers innocuously over the drama.
This “Shakespeare”, a new addition to the “Theatre of Life” series by S.G. Vasudev is almost an introduction, rather a re-introduction to S.G. Vasudev’s ongoing exhibition “Theatre of Life” at the Gallerie De’Arts.
A decade’s interpretation
It is a re-introduction because the theme has been with the artist for more than a decade now, spanning across media, as he explores its different facets. The current exhibition largely features works in oil with an earthy colour palette in shades of orange, brown and green.
Here again, every painting becomes a dramatic tapestry as each becomes its own stage, replete with its own characters, their emotions and antics for the world to see. The artist sometimes seems to draw attention to this stage by featuring another stage within a stage, a frame within a frame. He does this either by incorporating stage props as motifs or by depicting scenes from everyday life such as people watching television.
Faces and heads also feature prominently in his works, appearing as masks of emotion or as representatives of an image-conscious society. Deepa Subramanian, founder of Gallerie De’Arts says: “The series deals with the various emotional ups and downs that we go through in life, so anybody can relate to these paintings. These paintings are also symbols of Indian-ness.”
The Indian-ness, perhaps, comes through in his choice of colours and sometimes, motifs (like elephants), which at some level are reminiscent of folk art.
“Theatre of Life” will be on view at Gallerie De’Arts, 1114, Barton Centre, 84, M.G. Road until November 25. For details, call 25591933.The exhibition also has on sale a limited edition portfolio consisting of six prints of the artist’s works.
