Nirupama Dutt
htcitymohali@hindustantimes.com
Images of mushrooming buildings climbing one upon the other cover the canvas in bright hues and peeping through the crowded urbanscape are human, bird and floral forms. Such is the mood of a painting in acrylic on canvas by Madan Lal in which life seems to be struggling against the concrete of the city.
Aptly titled ‘Urban Phulkari’, it is one of the 64 artworks displayed at a group show that opened on Tuesday at the Sector 10 Government Museum gallery.
The exhibition mounted by ‘The Creators’ is a tribute by the artists of the region to well-known sculptor Shiv Singh who passed away recently. Shiv Singh drew his inspiration from nature and a consistent theme running through this show is of human concern in preserving nature as bricks and concrete seem to be occupying every inch of city space.
The exhibition 'Urban Phulkari' exhibition by Madan Lal (Sanjeev Sharma/ HT Photo)
Another work by painter Ram Pratap Verma titled ‘Abrupt Change’ is a collage mounted on a vertical mirror and amidst the growing chaos the viewer can see her/his image reflected too. Rooftops against a bit of the sky are seen in Parbinder Lal’s painting and Viren Tanwar has sent a trapeze artist from his circus series for the show.
{{/usCountry}}Another work by painter Ram Pratap Verma titled ‘Abrupt Change’ is a collage mounted on a vertical mirror and amidst the growing chaos the viewer can see her/his image reflected too. Rooftops against a bit of the sky are seen in Parbinder Lal’s painting and Viren Tanwar has sent a trapeze artist from his circus series for the show.
{{/usCountry}}In some of the works, the painters choose to negate the man-made by seeking a complete communion with nature as in the two evocative paintings by Jaskanwal titled ‘Woman and Nature’ in which human forms emerge from trees and soil.
Senior artist Jodh Singh’s painting seeks resistance in the strong and round images of rocks coloured with earthy hues. Sidharth’s ‘Tree of Life’ is a joyous image reflecting hope while Dalvinder Singh’s view of the flora and fauna of the City Beautiful is seen through large window panes.
Subhash Shorey’s woodcut of a feminine form in black is striking and Sukhvinder Singh Sumail’s painting seeks beauty in juxtaposing woman and fish in a dreamy rendition.
The exhibition 'Urban Phulkari' exhibition by Madan Lal (Sanjeev Sharma/ HT Photo)
What is heartening is the way artists have come together to pay homage to Shiv Singh who was a senior artist and a role model for many.
Artworks have come even from artists living in Kurukshetra, Jalandhar and Delhi. Paintings by seniors like Roop Chand and Prem Singh, who were friends of the artist, add to the grace of the show. Congratulations to ‘The Creators’ for remembering Shiv Singh, who was incidentally president of the group, thus with their art.
The card designed in black and orange, the colours of the garb of the late sculptor, is a fine remembrance.