Palette of the pandemic

Mona

Adversity can bring out the best in a person, believes artist Prem Singh. Going through some of his recent works, one can see how his creativity has come to his aid towards healing and also spreading positivity in these unprecedented times.

Prem Singh is not alone. The pain and desperation born out of the pandemic has made every artist to have a re-look at life and their creative process. We speak to some of them to find how their art has been shaped up by the new normal.

“The load of the past is shed now, and I am waiting to go back to my studio,” says Prem Singh, who was in Chandigarh during the peak of the pandemic, away from his studio, which is in Delhi. “When the first lockdown was imposed, I had no art materials. I found some really old sheets and started to make collages.”

Once the restrictions were lifted and he could get art materials, he started to draw with his left hand. “I have done that before. It’s so interesting to see how one’s two hands bring out different images.”

Interestingly, the drawings made with his left hand are simple, related to simple figures. Also, he started to work on his Ipad. “It’s only lately that I and the Ipad started to establish a dialogue,” says the artist. For Jaipur-based Vinay Sharma, the last two years have been a period for self-reflection. An antique collector, he found healing power in his colours. “Being in Rajasthan, water and greenery hold a special significance. I painted the Aravallis in my latest work.” While he’s always been in love with vibrant colours, the period of meditative self-reflection has made him reconsider his colour palette.

“I make my own colours. Throughout the pandemic, the earth’s surface has been central to my work. My colour palette is now more balanced.”

Nabibakhsh Mansoori considers himself fortunate that he his studio is an extension of his house and the lockdowns gave him uninterrupted time with self.

“It’s the responsibility of an artist to pass positive vibes to society in bad times,” says Mansoori, who lives in Gandhinagar. “I always paint from my heart and not from my mind. But it sure made me take a journey towards my inner-self and that reflects in my work now.”

Working with water colours and oil on canvas now, apart from nature, he is busy painting Ganesha for a group show.

Bheem Malhotra, chairman, Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, feels that artists are now getting impatient to showcase their work and have interaction with artists and art lovers. “We at the CLKA have started with a printmaking exhibition at the underpass in Sector 17.”

DS Kapoor enjoyed painting throughout the lockdowns. “In my paintings, I have expressed digitally the dreams that I have seen,” says Kapoor. Golden Rain is his recent work, in which he tried to create happiness for his viewers after all the glooms.

I painted with my left hand as an experiment. It’s interesting to see how one’s two hands bring out different images. Adversity can bring the best out of you. Prem Singh

I always paint from my heart and not from my mind. But it sure made me take a journey towards my inner self and that reflects in my work now. Nabibakhsh Mansoori

In my paintings, I have digitally captured my dreams. My recent work Golden Rain stands for prosperity and is an indication of the good days ahead. DS Kapoor

The art world is back on the track. It’s about time art lovers got to appreciate our works. We have started a printmaking exhibition in Sector 17. Bheem Malhotra