Associating life and mythology with nature comes naturally to artist Sukanta Das. His latest series ‘Enchanted’ at Aalankritha Art Gallery is an ode to the various moods of a woman lost in her thoughts, a dream land amid nature where she equates her equation with the man of her life to that of Radha and Krishna. There’s a subtle distinction across the art series that captures minute changes- how the woman reacts to the presence and absence of the man and how her mind is consistently drawn by Radha-Krishna- the smart use of silhouettes, shadows by the artist register a strong impact.
Replete with floral designs and a mythical quality that helps stamp Sukanta’s authority as an artist, Enchanted features earthy colour choices, rooted to tradition- sample the muted use of blue, green, orange and yellow. The woman in the series is labelled Radhika- the artist’s tribute to Radha. The Sanskrit texts at the backdrop has lines borrowed from the poet Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, the prominent treatise that elaborates on the Radha-Krishna equation is an ideal add-on to the art works. Figurative art is Sukanta’s forte and it shows.
“Acrylic on canvas is the medium I’m most comfortable with. I associate the female figure as an eternal beauty in this series- there’s something serene and ethereal in her. Her expression changes across various situations and that lays a strong basis to the paintings.” Das mentions of working over five years for the series. He admits nature plays a huge role in his art works, what attracts him is its blend with human relationships, given it’s an aspect that’ll not change with time. Inspired by the miniature paintings pertaining to mythology that depict the Radha-Krishna equation amid nature, Sukanta adds, “Indian painters have always shared a unique rapport with nature, one of its best creations happens to be the human being and it’s a natural choice for it to be part of my art. It’s an aspect I want to dwell upon across my artworks in the future too.”
‘Enchanted’ is on view at Aalankritha Art Gallery till February 21.
