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Spreading creative wings
An artist articulates the metamorphosis of his work with a solo show on canvas, writes Anamika Chatterjee.
An artist’s transformation marks his coming of age. Sanjeev Verma came up with a solo show — Chrysalis — at the Open Palm Court Gallery at the India Habitat Centre on Friday evening that articulated the metamorphosis of his art and his own evolution.
Nature, Verma insists, is at the centre of his concerns. Well-known filmmaker and environmentalist Mike Pandey, who inaugurated the show, said, “Man has not adapted to earth.
He is still at his infancy and is shutting out all life sources.” Pandey was also quick to point out that Verma had evolved tremendously over the years. “When an artist paints from his soul, he paints reality,” observed Pandey.
Chrysalis is a stage when the caterpillar emerges from the cocoon and transforms into a butterfly. Verma has captured what he calls ‘moments in my life’ in his paintings. “I am not trying to show anything. I just want people to feel.” said Verma.
His Invasion series shows how both man and nature have a tendency to invade each other’s spaces. An interesting aspect of Verma’s paintings is as the artist claims, “People may interpret these paintings in any particular way, at the end, their reactions are similar.” This show is the first time Verma has used canvas as a surface. He has earlier worked in materials like metal, wood, ceramics and bronze.
