Beast within
| Samir Aich’s works stand out as intense outpouring of primordial sensationsIn his recent works, Kolkata-based artist Samir Aich once again proves his versatility and facility to innovate and advance. As in the past, the prolific painter creates dark, intense images of anger, agony, hunger and suffering. Aich’s abilityto dare on the canvas results in ruthless outpouring of primordial sensations. Devoid of any semblance of good looks or decorativeness, his paintings depict a series of intriguing characters which at once appear weird yet real. The images strike the viewer as awe-inspiring sketches of ardour and passion. Aich’s flair for drawing also gets accentuated in his paintings.
All of Aich’s protagonists seem to lead half-lives; that of an animal and a human being. Some of them even look like extra terrestrial creatures with uneven shapes and contorted carriage. In Aich’s oeuvre one sights supine figures and struggling half-animals.Against dark and grim (acrylic) background, Aich’s defining lines (rendered by dry pastels) stand out in stark contrast, flushing out tormented figures, stretching their agonizing bodiesand extending an inherent tension. In actuality, these images have more to do with feelings or emotions rather than any reference to a particular person, animal or bird. In one particularly striking instance, Aich presents a standing figure; by its build and posture, it resembles a tall bird with outstretched wings, its neck unexpectedly but beguilingly stretched out. The face is unpredictably turned backwards as if the character is wondering whether the face belongs to its own body.As the exhibition catalogue suggests, Aich’s paintings are indeed curious caricatures of life, or near-death, but there are truths in them. “In the doing of this he has, not only depicted a reality , but unravelled an underlying truth that is evident only to a few.” Aich’s exhibition of paintings concludes on October 31 at Gallery G, Lavelle Road. For details, contact: 22219275. GIRIDHAR KHASNIS …More |
