Women have played the muse ever since mankind has expressed their creativity whether in the form of art, poetry, sculpture or literature. However, artist Amit Srivastava feels contemporary women have not been given enough representation and so, his ongoing exhibition Unfettered is an attempt to address that lack.
“This theme has been with me for the longest time, a realisation that not much work has been done on urban women,” says Amit Srivastava. “Indian women have stepped out of the traditional domain and have made a name for themselves. Then, they return home after a day at work and attend to the welfare of their household,” adds the Delhi-based artist.
“I saw this in my mother who was a school teacher. I wanted to show today’s woman unwinding and relaxing, reflecting on the journey, in Unfettered,” says Amit, adding that a lot of his earlier work was modelled on his parents.
Naina by artist Amit Srivastava | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In Unfettered, for the most part, the 30-odd canvases on display depict women spending quality time by themselves, for themselves. Amit, whose preferred medium is oil on canvas, favours the works of Old Masters; the tone of light and shadow play an important role in his works too.
“I enjoyed colouring as a child, but I was also interested in engineering and art took a backseat. However, in my final year of IIT, I stated drawing again. Soon, I was exploring the works of local artists and learning from them.”
Trips to the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, attracted him to the works of Old Masters. “I had this desire to draw and paint like them. When I returned, I found teachers who had worked abroad and whose work I liked and began to learn from them over the weekends.”
Amit recalls an evening in 2008, when he started painting a Still Life (inanimate subjects) at around 5pm. “When I completed that piece and laid down my brush, I noticed it was four in the morning. I was amazed as I hadn’t felt the need to take a break or eat something. That day I realised that perhaps art was what I should be doing in my life.”
Indigo Intrigue by artist Amit Srivastava | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
He eventually enrolled at The Ryder Studio, founded by artist Anthony Ryder in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “I enjoyed creating Still Life paintings; however, sessions there showcased the importance of studying live objects as well as their composition and design.”
Amit, who quit working in 2013 to pursue his passion as a full-time artist, says, “All my work for Unfettered feature figurative art and portraits as it is my strength, though Still Life is what I love to do.”
He says this theme captures contemporary women and each of his works is titled after the emotion it evoked. He says the piece Naina was modelled after a dancer who was very expressive with her eyes. “She was pleasantly surprised with the title as that was a nickname her grandmother would use for her,” he says.
The majority of artworks created for this series took a year and a half to be completed and while most are oil on canvas, a few are conte, charcoal and graphite on paper.
Unfettered: Unleashing the Spirit Within by Amit Srivastava will be on display at Gallery Time and Space till January 28.
On a Warm Note by artist Amit Srivastava | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
