Making an attempt to bridge the gap between the masses and art, 1001 Words has organised a solo show of artworks in oil and acrylic on canvas by Divyaman Singh. The theme of the exhibition is “Ethereal” and the works explore the grandeur of nature and quest for solitude. Introducing his collection, the artist said, “All the paintings are based on thoughts. The inspiration comes from the ups and downs of life, all the good things as well as the bad things.”
In all there are 12 paintings as a part of the exhibition. These include “Into The Horizon”, “The Monk Who Found Eternity”, “The Last Hour”, “Gushing Thoughts”, “The Cave”, “Melting Ego”, “Tranquillity”, and “Golden Mountain” among others. Divyaman has started painting again after a gap of 16 years. Stating that he was busy with other aspects of life and doing something else, he says, “Now I am embarking on a journey of following my heart.” In “Melting Ego”, Singh has painted the sun in the dark sea and divided it into two separate paintings. He explains how he wants to capture the vastness and the extravagance of the sea by doing this. In his other artwork Fickle Happiness, Fickle Light he adds glitter to enhance the texture.
The paintings lack any central characters but are rather an amalgamation of colours. Explaining his artistic style Divyaman explains, “I don’t paint portraits or things that you see in everyday life. I wanted to paint thoughts, feelings which everyone has felt at some point in our lives.” Believing in working in one go, he shares that he completes each painting in 10 to11 hours at a stretch. “Once you start you can’t leave it because it breaks the thought process. It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is.”
Divyaman who has acted and modelled earlier has had not formal training and not being mentored. He firmly believes that art cannot be taught but is a product of creativity and practice. He was however, influenced by his grandfather, Awadesh Kumar Singh, a Member of Parliament, love for art. “My grandfather was a very talented painter. His paintings were exhibited at the Parliament during the tenure of Dr. S Radhakrishnan as the President. He was given a chance to make the Indian government stamps. I guess this is why I am interested in art.” He mother too was an artist who did not further explains how his mother was also an artist but didn’t pursue it after marriage.
The show is presented by 1001 Words, a venture started by Tejeesh Singh which aims to make art accessible to the masses, rather than just be confined to a few select classes. This is done by engaging both on the online media, as well as the offline through exhibitions.
(On till January 19 at Artizen Art Gallery, Pearey Lal Bhawan, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
