On View at Pradarshak:"Colours of Life" Semi-abstract Paintings by Asif Shaikh

Acrylic on Canvas_18" x 36"

21^stSept. – 3^rd Oct.’15: Pradarshak presents Debut Solo Exhibition of Paintings by Asif Shaikh.

Having grown up amidst lush sugarcane fields in Ahmednagar, Asif Shaikh is a young upcoming artist, whose wisdom seems more profound, when viewed in his works of art. Centred around the subject of “Bulls”, his paintings come alive in layered tones of a predominant hue - vibrant, sombre, pensive, liberal, engrossed...  portraying a host of emotions, almost instantaneously engaging the viewer. 

Acrylic on Canvas_36" x 36"

Using the bull as a metaphor, the artist visits his life’s experiences, his social impressions, and specifically, his personal struggles in life.

Acrylic on Canvas_24" x 24"

The bull is seen here, not seen there; silhouetted here, absent there; the imagery plays on the senses, absolutely nuanced, and tempered with textural overtones of either tonalities of the predominant colour or a contrasting hue. The textural rendering too, incidentally, speaks of cattle – their faeces, dried cow dung cakes, fodder etc – associations that conjure memories of his growing years in rural Rahuri Factory near Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.

Acrylic on Canvas_12" x 12"

Looked at closely, one sees Asif’s canvases segmented – as if sectioning off his thoughts, his palette, and reorganising them into a holistic canvas as it draws completion. Just like any other artist, Asif too, has his moments of brilliance and these are becoming more apparent as the artist matures.