Seven hundred and thirty days. That was the longest period artist Gurudas Shenoy had to be homebound. With most of the world, he, too was unable to step out due to the pandemic-induced lockdowns.
For an artist who loves to travel, continuously being at home led to some shifts in Shenoy’s art. Besides painting his signature landscapes and cityscapes, he began experimenting with other subjects like routine objects and spiritual elements. More abstraction seeped into his practice as well.
“Even though I could not travel during this period, in a way I embraced the calmness. This time gave me the opportunity to go deeper into my works. I became bolder, started using more layers, and more abstraction,” says the artist.
His upcoming exhibition presented by Artisera, ‘730’, denoting two years of pandemic – a profound phase for Gurudas as well as for the rest of the world – will be his first solo in three years.
In a series titled Confined Stories, Gurudas explores the dichotomy of two worlds – indoors and outdoors. Another new series, Spiritual Odyssey, comprises paintings of spiritual terrains and temple towns, inspired by his travels to the Himalayas, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Badrinath and Kedarnath.
In the Reminiscence and Resurgence series, the paintings are largely abstract, forming into an organic and interconnected configuration of colour planes.
Born in in Udupi, Gurudas Shenoy has over three decades of art practice behind him that includes drawings, paintings, murals, and installations.
730 will take place at Bangalore International Centre from May 27 to 29.
