
Satish Gujral Indian, 1925-2020
Untitled, 2003
Acrylic on
Canvas
Canvas
42" x 42"
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The painting belongs to the most lyrical phase of his career when playful motifs like kites, musical instruments and birds filled the expanses as sound has filled his life. Tangled...
The painting belongs to the most lyrical phase of his career when playful motifs like kites, musical instruments and birds filled the expanses as sound has filled his life. Tangled agony transformed into chromatically rich hues of joy and a riot of colours flared on his canvases. The colours and texture of the painting makes it unique. Acrylic and gold on canvas, the richly utilized medium overrules the traditional nature of canvas that it attains close to tempera. In this painting the same acrylic attains a cemented texture with a consistent coarseness yet attaining the feel of concrete much close to muralist décor. The fascinating part of Gujral’s work is the way he blends the content with the form and creates liveliness. In this painting, kites of different forms and colours are displayed and his subjects, man and a woman are trying to fly the kite. The man is pulling the thread in a very rhythmic movement with an intent of soaring his kite up higher in the sky; whereas the woman sits opposite to him with a kite in her hand trying to help him. Though the background is densely dark, the characters with their devices enjoy the jubilance of a divine light. A man always in high spirits, Gujral is known for the fineness, playfulness and the magical quality he plunges into the artworks.