Show by Upendra Naik
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Benares seems to have inspired many artists. Upendra Nayak's exhibition with paintings on Banares is own view at the Jehangir Art Gallery. Upendra Naik returns to the gallery with the painting after 35 years.
When the artists went round Benares sometime in 1970 with his father, the memories of the place were etched in his memory. What we see is a mix of impressionist, expressionist and abstract work. The strokes of the knife creates myriad depths on canvas.
Upendra Nayak says: “As my father's assistant in the 60s and 70s, I accumulated a lot of photographs of Benares. The photographs were devoid of colour. The mood and the spirit of the ghats of Benares was looted up somewhere in my memory. I started unlocking the series on canvas with a series of procedures at first capturing the geometry of the space and focusing only on the moods and vibrancy through colour...”
The artist's chosen tool for rendition of his thoughts has always been the knife. He works with layers and layers of colour applied by the knife. “Every stroke obscures the last one and brings me a step closer to my energy Memories of Benares”.
The exhibition will be at the Jehangir till Feb 12. Contact: 9821170297/ 9820937454.