The human figure is the leitmotif in Ramesh Chandra’s series of watercolours on display at the Tangerine Art Space. Ramesh uses the human figure to express human psyche, which he feels is full of conflicting emotions, of desire, lust, ambition and ego and the consequent urge to suppress them.
Ramesh represents these conflicts and the tendency to nurture these emotions, though motifs that are connected to the human figure, such as toy houses, clouds, trees, horses, flowering vines and most often a long tube that emerges from the mouth and coils or winds to form different shapes in different instances.
“I am basically regarding psychological expression in my works, by studying psychological conflicts. Every individual has different elements which he tries to suppress. So I have tried to work these out in my forms, these are not exact ideas but are representative,” says Ramesh.
For instance, he has used flowering vines as a representation of the qualities of the heart, and how man, as an inspiration can nurture these qualities. And the long, winding tongue is a representation of the twisted and easily out of control nature of the mind, which is represented by the human figure.
The relationship between form and content is significant to Ramesh’s works.
“Form is what is seen, content is unseen. But content is what makes form and vice-versa. They are two sides of the same coin. So the human figure then becomes the form while the psychological journey is the content.”
Though the figures appear to represent a man (instead of a woman), Ramesh is clear that the figures are not indicative of a gender, since the human psyche has no gender.
Ramesh Chandra’s watercolours will be on display until June 5 at Tangerine, Sizzlers & More,52, 100 Feet Road,(Near the Sony Centre intersection), Koramangala.
For details, contact 41152678 or 41152679.
