A self-confessed votary of the works of Claude Monet, artist Chandrakumar. R waxes eloquent about what attracts him to the Impressionist school and its overwhelming influence on his works. “Since its inception in cave paintings, man has used art to convey his perceptions of the world around him through signs and symbols” states the artist.
“Realism was thus paramount. In the 1860s, the Impressionist movement took root, propagated by more than 120 artists of whom about 20 attained prominence. Their use of intense colour marked by the absence of black from the palette and their compositions pervaded by light and airiness left an indelible influence on successive generations of artists. Nature, their chief source of inspiration, has proved to mine as well, offering infinite possibilities in terms of composition and colour.”
Titled ‘Lilium,’ Chandrakumar’s acrylic on canvas paintings focus on a series of lily pond vistas in which cooling blues and greens merge with warm yellows. From the initial impression of massed banks of pink and white water lilies, the eye proceeds to differentiate between apparently similar waterscapes.
Some are prominently foregrounded from a wide-angle view while others magnify a single flower. Attention to detail is equally evident in the zoom view of individual flowers with wide leaves floating in light-dappled water.
“I believe that my technique is the USP of my art. Many Impressionist works rely heavily on the impasto technique that involves the application of paint in thick layers to convey depth and a three-dimensional effect.
“However, after decades of experimentation, I have chosen to use acrylics with water as medium, to achieve the watercolour effect. This is a departure from the customary medium. It also calls for an internalisation of and precise control over the watercolour technique. The result is an evident lightening up, with transparent and translucent elements such as air and water translating into thin layers and dense elements such as flowers and leaves depicted through thick layers.”
An intriguing exhibit that stands out from the rest of the collection is an eco-themed collage. Designed as a blueprint for a larger work on the anvil, the painting is stitched together by a grid of small, vividly coloured squares.
Each square is a window into a miniature world that encompasses varied landscapes including forests, mountains, deserts and lakes peopled by characteristic flora and fauna. Alternating squares detail renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Interspersed, are warning signs of the consequences of deforestation and wanton ecological destruction, namely, drought-stricken, cracked earth and animal skeletons.
‘Go Green’ exhorts the bas-relief stencilled sign, that may be interpreted as the writing on the wall. Chandrakumar shares a little secret about these letters. ‘I’ve had a lot of queries about the exact technique used to achieve their sharp-edged outlines. I glued together a few strips of canvas, stencilled the letters and then had them laser-cut!”
Initially a graphic artist who worked in advertising, Chandrakumar is currently a full-time artist who has served as guest lecturer at institutions that include the Anna University, Marg Institute of Design and Architecture (Swarnabhoomi) and NABARD. He is also passionate about art restoration projects and enjoys teaching painting to children in villages.
Inaugurated by eminent artist B.R. Annapillai, the exhibition will be on till June 12 at Soul Spice Art Gallery, 21/11 First Main Road, CIT Colony, Mylapore. Contact: 9840478886. Timing: 12 – 7 p.m. (Sundays closed)
