Shadows of Krishna

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When you walk into the Religare Art Gallery in the capital, the first thing you notice are the large and small canvasses by artist Sanjay Bhattacharyya depicting the shadows of a small flute player under different lights and in various forms.

Talking about his upcoming show “Emerging Krishna”, Sanjay says, “The show has nothing to do with Lord Krishna’s religion. It has everything to do with the idea of form and what light can do to a single setting.”
Explaining about the choice of his subject, the artist says, “A small sculpture of the flute playing Krishna became my subject and I worked around the image and created many counterpoints — different moods at times of day and seasonal drifts by employing different geometric patterns.”
“For me, subject, composition and backdrop, become the idea of an artist’s landscape, so what I see is a juxtaposition of many elements from the past and the present to create a new way of seeing. This Krishna show is about that, however, through the element of abstract, I have left many layers open to the viewer to have his own interpretations.”
Sanjay urges the audience to look at the exhibition in two ways. He says, “In a complex and mixed society, we can look at this show in two ways, first, at the canvases and then the photographs or vice versa.”
He further adds, “But, wherever you begin from, you will find Krishna in his minimalitic avataar. I took Krishna as my muse this time, as I was fascinated by the pattern of a small Krishna idol placed in my studio in minimal light.”
Sanjay feels in this show Krishna is still in the emerging process.
“Krishna, as a subject, has more appeal than the classical street scene and the gaunt facet of the religiosity. Forget religion, think of an image as a symbol, something that gives us joy, and opportunities to think, and create and give joy to others,” says Sanjay.
Bricks and the jagged edges of a sunrise or sunset, achieve a painterliness beyond simple photo-realism.
What is most striking is that it pulls away the ideas of religious myth, breaking any temptations and indeed with himself too. The flute and forms of Krishna weave into the colour of connotations.