Eleven artists from across the country have come together to explore the idea of drawing as an independent art form through an exhibition titled Dot Dash Line and its Narrative.
Chennai:
"This exhibition aims to establish the seminal role played by drawing in the artistic and creative processes. Drawing within the contemporary milieu is losing its luster as an important form of expression, as the digital medium and virtual world are offering immense possibilities of acquiring images without having to go through the cerebration or ideational process. Many artists are of the opinion that 'skill' need not be the criterion for creating a drawing. The 'computer mouse' will provide a substitute. But they fail to understand that it is the human hand which is manipulating the mouse to obtain the imagery required. Thus whatever the means, skill continues to be the chief criterion unless it is a medium like photography, digital art or installations. Through this exhibition, we aim to bring to centre stage the varied possibilities of evolving drawings through a language that could be figurative or abstract. The crux of the idea is to make use of any of the elements individually as the dot or dash or line or in combination to create a narrative that could be premised on the artist's own emotional journey or could be thematic as the dynamism of city life," says Ashrafi S Bhagat, curator of the show.
Artists who are participating in the show are Anjani Reddy (Hyderabad), SG Vasudev (Bengaluru), PG Dinesh (Kerala), Avinash Karan (Varanasi) and Mark Rathiraj, Parvathi Nayar, Siva Balan, RM Palaniappan, Venkatapathy, Vijay Pichumani and RB Bhaskaran from Chennai.
One of the artists, PG Dinesh has explored the connection between nature and art. "There are a lot of trees in my studio in Kerala and every time when I paint, some elements of nature inspire me. Nature has given us so much and now it is our responsibility to take care of Mother Nature. For this ongoing exhibition, I've portrayed nature from the perspective of a person," says Dinesh.
Drawing is the foundational tool that is either inherently possessed or acquired as a skill through a learning process in the visualisation and formulation of ideas or images. “Artists, throughout history, have demonstrated this process of representing the human form or the world of nature. Its importance in the creative process cannot be overlooked. According to John Berger, 'To draw is to look, to examine the spectrum of appearance',” remarks Ashrafi.
The idea of drawing as an independent art form brings the varied possibilities of evolving drawings through different mediums and techniques including a language that could be figurative or abstract. And that’s what an art enthusiast can witness when he/she enters the Art Houz Gallery in Nungambakkam. Dot Dash Line and its Narrative is an exhibition of 11 artists from across the country.
"This exhibition aims to establish the seminal role played by drawing in the artistic and creative processes. Drawing within the contemporary milieu is losing its luster as an important form of expression, as the digital medium and virtual world are offering immense possibilities of acquiring images without having to go through the cerebration or ideational process. Many artists are of the opinion that 'skill' need not be the criterion for creating a drawing. The 'computer mouse' will provide a substitute. But they fail to understand that it is the human hand which is manipulating the mouse to obtain the imagery required. Thus whatever the means, skill continues to be the chief criterion unless it is a medium like photography, digital art or installations. Through this exhibition, we aim to bring to centre stage the varied possibilities of evolving drawings through a language that could be figurative or abstract. The crux of the idea is to make use of any of the elements individually as the dot or dash or line or in combination to create a narrative that could be premised on the artist's own emotional journey or could be thematic as the dynamism of city life," says Ashrafi S Bhagat, curator of the show.
Artists who are participating in the show are Anjani Reddy (Hyderabad), SG Vasudev (Bengaluru), PG Dinesh (Kerala), Avinash Karan (Varanasi) and Mark Rathiraj, Parvathi Nayar, Siva Balan, RM Palaniappan, Venkatapathy, Vijay Pichumani and RB Bhaskaran from Chennai.
One of the artists, PG Dinesh has explored the connection between nature and art. "There are a lot of trees in my studio in Kerala and every time when I paint, some elements of nature inspire me. Nature has given us so much and now it is our responsibility to take care of Mother Nature. For this ongoing exhibition, I've portrayed nature from the perspective of a person," says Dinesh.
Drawing is the foundational tool that is either inherently possessed or acquired as a skill through a learning process in the visualisation and formulation of ideas or images. “Artists, throughout history, have demonstrated this process of representing the human form or the world of nature. Its importance in the creative process cannot be overlooked. According to John Berger, 'To draw is to look, to examine the spectrum of appearance',” remarks Ashrafi.