Artistry as a beautiful gift of inheritance

Art is an inherent talent that gets passed on, believes contemporary abstract painter Chandni S Chanana. A self-taught artist, Chanana believes she inherited her

Art is an inherent talent that gets passed on, believes contemporary abstract painter Chandni S Chanana. A self-taught artist, Chanana believes she inherited her skills from her mother, who was a graduate of JJ School of Arts.

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“My art is inherited. I never really went to an art school, so all my talent is credited to my mother. I did always harbour a passion for drawing, sketching and doodling from a young age and that is all because of my mother,” said Chanana.

Set in her belief of inheriting her talent, Chanana uses inheritance as the title for all her exhibitions. Her paintings are all named similarly as a tribute to her mother who passed away before her first exhibition in 1999.

Chanana, who holds a degree in Psychology from Mumbai University, mostly uses her canvas to portray women in different forms. Using abstract as the guiding form, the artist creates acrylic paintings of women in action. Movement of the character is an important part of each of Chanana’s paintings.

“The figures I paint are always in action. They might be playing an instrument, dancing, greeting or be with a child,” said the DLF-5 resident. Originally from Mumbai, the artist lived in Dubai for 17 years, where she painted and exhibited her works sporadically. The artist has displayed in cities like Mumbai, Dubai and Delhi. Her last exhibition was held at the Museo Camera Centre for the Photographic Arts in Gurugram on February 1.

The primary colours used in the artist’s paintings are rust, yellow ochre and others. Browns and yellows are the artist’s comfort colours. Most of her paintings consist of blurry dabbing around her figures to create a special effect that creates a timeless aura around her characters, stuck as if they are doing an indefinite task.

One of her series is dedicated to women playing different musical instruments. The characters true to their contemporary abstract form see them playing drum, sitar, guitar and others. In some of her paintings, the presence of a bright yellow background to the red bodies of the figures gives the impression of an evolved tribal art form.

“I know what I want to paint when I start, but what ends up being made is beyond my imagination,” said the artist.

Besides paintbrushes, the artist also extensively uses materials like papers, knives, cloth and others to create different textures. I also use my fingers with paint as they give better control, added the artist.

Another of Chanana’s series includes mother and child, a subject that was close to her mother’s heart. The artist has also created a series dedicated to depicting Brahmin boys. The figures here are seen standing in groups with their sacred thread, painted forehead and shaved heads with ponytails in show.