‘Abstract Expressions’, the exhibition currently underway at Art World, is a celebration of abstract and semi-abstract art as a form of self-expression. The small but striking collection features paintings that span time and space, reflecting different styles, moods and eras. Put together, they provide a colourful, evocative glimpse of all that the abstract can be and convey.
The exhibition consists of the works of both senior and younger artists. Interestingly, it also features some older works of established artists, works which reflect a time of experimentation in Indian art, a time when, as Art World’s Bishwajit Banerjee puts it, our artists grappled with angst — and with abstracts.
For instance, you see a couple of purely abstract pieces (as opposed to his later abstract figuratives) by senior artist A.P. Santhanaraj from the 1960s and 1970s, pieces evocative of struggle, pieces that take you back to the time when this celebrated artist’s signature style was in the process of evolving.
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On the other hand, you have recent works by other senior artists that radiate confidence , works that make a statement with the very boldness of their strokes. You have Achuthan Kudallur’s striking painting — strong, black lines against the dark, pulsing red of the canvas.
You have Amitabh Sengupta’s characteristically powerful piece, bright yellow slashed with red and crammed with repetitive old script, speaking of strength and resistance. Some of the paintings are mellow, such as Tapan Mitra’s abstract landscape that’s a gorgeous sea of tranquil blue, green, and yellow; others crackle with energy, such as Tapas Ghoshal’s semi-abstract depiction of Benaras which captures the essence of the bustling city. Some are created on a grand scale, such as Sanjeeb Roy’s intensively textured, glowing two-canvas abstract; while a few small canvases are crammed with chaotic energy, such as R.B. Murari’s pieces. But all the pieces have this is common — they have something to say — and this makes for a thought-provoking whole.
The exhibition ends on Friday.
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