Rainer Maria Rilke once said, “Painting is something that takes place among the colours and one has to leave them alone completely so that they can settle the matter themselves.” The same could be said of creation and nature. Left to itself, nature is a matchless artist, and the thought came to mind on seeing Premendra Singh Goud’s recently concluded exhibition of paintings, “Shadow of Nature”, an exhilarating display of nature, emotions and colours.
In keeping with the festive season, the 16 paintings were bright splashes of colour. Goud’s works are usually satiated with bold, contrasting colours that electrify you with their stimulating presence, and these recent works were no exception. His paintings have ample reds, oranges and coppers. “They represent energy and happiness — which is inside me,” he explains. The paintings give evidence of the artist’s spiritual leanings. Abstracts are the greatest medium of self-expression for Goud, who says, “It gives me the freedom to capture exactly how I feel at a particular moment.”
Nature has always been the motivational force behind Goud’s work. He says it is the unification of his inner self with the natural beauty around him that gives birth to the forms on canvas. .
Does he feel that abstract is a less understood and therefore a less appreciated form of art? “That happens because you look for forms in abstracts. It is what it is. Either you like it or you don’t,” he replies.
Currently, however, abstracts are gaining popularity, both in art circles and among lay viewers. “For an artist, abstract is not a stage where you can stay. It is like travelling in space: the more you seek, the more you find. Even now, every time I look at my paintings I keep discovering new things,” he adds.
Goud has been painting ever since he can remember, though professionally, it has been 13 years now and he has almost 5000 paintings to his credit. On being compared to Mark Rothko, he says, “Comparisons are inevitable for all artists. Whatever new work you do has been done somewhere before.”
