Drawing from his wealth of experience of studying nature, seasoned artist Avijit Dutta has come up with a series of eclectic paintings which are on display as a solo show at Gallerie Ganesha in Greater Kailash II these days.
The Kolkata-based artist has reminisced memorable moments from his childhood days when people would enjoy being in close proximity of nature.
For Avijit, words play as much significance as the colours and strokes he uses in his paintings. “Ensoul”, the title of the exhibition, succinctly summarises his philosophy towards art. “Ensoul means to hold something close to your heart and soul. My work is based on fond memories of the past when I would go on family vacations with my mom and mausi. Nature is so beautiful and bountiful but we need time and patience to enjoy its myriad forms. Social networking sites are contemporary necessities but they have now come in between our love for nature.”
Speaking from his recent experience with nature, he said: “I am sitting in front of the sea but I cannot hear the flow of water or see its splendid waves because I am constantly chatting with my friend on laptop.”
Avijit works only with watercolour for the simple reason that it is the only medium that helps him express nature beautifully. “It is transparent and traditional. So the challenge is to express seascape, landscape in a manner that people are drawn to its enchanting beauty.”
Explaining how he has juxtaposed elements of nature with memories of a bygone era, Avijit, whose works were also showcased at the just concluded India Art Fair, says, “Here, the mysterious and highly intriguing surface amalgamates with historical references and contemporary elements and leaves a blank space of widespread void for the futuristic nuances to fill it up. The weathered, old and sensitively treasured excerpts of yellowed photographs, exemplifies the stilled moments of a bygone era.”
For the exhibition, Avijit has highlighted sea, river and ponds in their various manifestations. He has beautifully captured the contrast in his work Ensoul 1, where he has drawn wandering ducks searching for an oasis of water. This is to show the present situation where the receding water level is making life miserable for creatures who survive on it. And in the same frame he has also shown huge waves which existed in the earlier decades.
Having travelled to many countries has helped him observe scenic surroundings near seashores and other water bodies. “We are nothing in front of the mighty sea and its scenic beauty motivates me to come up with something spectacular on canvas. So I have juxtaposed sea with time – the past and the present. I have shown stages like early photographs, when sea with existing with less pollution and now when swans are searching for sea.”
Exhorting people to appreciate nature, he said: “Whenever we go for an outing at seashore, riverbed or pond we need to enjoy and feel that place. What is disturbing in today’s age is that there is hardly any emotional connect with seascape and landscape. Everything is so monotonous as we rely a bit too much on technology.”
Having said that Avijit admitstechnology part cannot be denied altogether and has used gold foil, which denotes mechanical way of life.
