Artist Milind Nayak believes he is a colourist. It’s probably quite an apt description of the artist who is known for his landscapes and abstracts. This time, in the exhibition “The Lotus Pond and The Tree of Life” at the new art space, The Coloured Palette, he works with landscapes (largely in oils and pastels). It is a touch of pure creativity which constitutes an abstract that takes the painting away from the typical idea of a landscape to a new level.
This new level is a world of colour that Milind seeks to celebrate. Milind’s landscapes, as the title suggests, depict mainly two subjects: a lotus pond and a tree.
Milind studies the tree that occupies a space in front of his studio, in his imagination in many different ways, each time inventing a new world of colour.
He paints the tree at dusk, with the leaves drooping in the light. The sky is a midnight blue in the higher reaches, still retaining a fading glow near the lower branches. He paints the tree in the evening, silhouetted in black and fading browns.
He paints the tree in a bright, sky-blue summer; in spring; in purple. He paints the tree with the “Greens turning pink and purple”, the bright foliage with fiery orange and pink tips set against a lilac background.
Meanwhile, the lotus pond is the artist’s childhood desire, which he fulfilled a few years ago in his studio. The pond with the glowing pink lotuses floating over bright green leaves in dark waters becomes a world in itself. Through all his variations of colour, Milind retains his voice and style, in his flat tones and play of light and colour. He keeps his backgrounds dark, emphasising the brightness of the main elements in his foreground. These elements in his imagery exude a luminescence or florescence that draws the attention of the viewer, as do his unusual strokes.
The exhibition also features his works, in graphite and pastels. “The Lotus Pond and The Tree of Life” will be on view until December 21 at The Coloured Palette 863/D, 12th Main, 3rd Block Koramangala. Contact 8861731111.
