Entering a room having the paintings of R. George would take many on a meditative journey, one that explores the various dimensions of one’s mind.
The bright hues and the differing patterns in the paintings create a whirlwind of sorts that are created by the horizontal and vertical formations.
Each aspect in the painting could be perceived to convey the varying emotions.
As the artist puts it, “They can be seen as a philosophical, sociological, and even psychological, study of the concepts of ‘I’ and ‘we’.”
Mr. George, a poet and a socio-cultural activist, whose paintings have been exhibited at the Art Gallery of the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan, says his paintings have been greatly influenced by philosophical thoughts. According to him, they were meant to be an exploration into the formative process of the mind and the search for its transformations. The paintings are intended to be an attempt to express the infinite multiplicity.
The 16 paintings, which are prepared using oil on canvas, belong to the Origins series of the artist.
The artist does not subscribe to the common perception that social activists need not necessarily use the medium of art to further their efforts in their campaigns.
Social commitment
“I have vehemently opposed the view that makers of abstract art were not socially committed and were apolitical. In fact, it might come as a surprise to many that the abstract expressionists of the 1960s and 1970s were prominent leftist thinkers,” he says.
During his 33-year-long career as an artist, Mr. George has conducted several painting solo shows in various places including Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Bengaluru, Madras, Mumbai and Dubai. He has also published three anthologies of poems, viz., ‘Swakaryakurippukal’, ‘Sareerageethangal’, and ‘Virajangalude Samaharam’. The exhibition will remain open on all days until February 14 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
