By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : Three French artists – Dezer, Miguel and Keflione – have recreated the horrors of the terror attack on Mumbai in colour in the busy Connaught Place in the heart of the capital.
It is the trio’s tribute to the city that was ravaged by militants’ fire for three days beginning Nov 26.
The venue is the Religare Arts-I Gallery and the canvas is a wide swathe of the whitewashed wall that faces the busy thoroughfare.
Across a three-panel spread on the wall is a blue façade of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel of Mumbai that merges into a crowd of fists and a graffiti of India bearing the victims’ names.
The graffiti has been partnered by the gallery and Alliance Francaise. “Given the new global realities and the fact that world has become a global village, it seems apt that artists from far-off France use art as a tribute to Mumbai in a city like Delhi,” Dezer said.
The trio, in India for a month to work as artists and make music, was at the Four Seasons Hotel when Mumbai was attacked. “The day after the attack, when we ventured out, the city looked deserted,” Miguel said. Initially, the artists had planned a graffiti tribute to Bollywood music and musicians, but had to change their plans.
-*-
British artist loves Indian villages
“I love working in villages of India,” British master James Horton, who was commissioned by Prince Charles of Britain to paint several figurative canvases at a monastery on Mount Athos in Greece where the two spent some time, told IANS in the capital recently.
He was in the city to take part in an exhibition by Indian and British artists.
“I have painted in Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh – especially in the countryside and in the tribal areas. I think Indian contemporary art is going places and my British collectors love my Indian canvases. Most of my works in India are half abstract and half figurative,” said the veteran artist, who loves both oil and water colours.
The artist loves figurative canvases. “It is more human in response because even people who are not trained in art can see, understand and relate. Figurative art pertains to realities,” Horton said.
The artist was honoured by the Bangla Sahab Gurdwara in the capital, which put up one of his works on permanent display last month.
Horton is involved in several charity projects, including one for blind children.
The artist is influenced by Mughal paintings. “They are very skilfully done,” he said.
-*-
German artist shows her India visions
Delhi-based German artist Kirstin Pukall is showing her latest series of works in an exhibition Dec 15-20 at Panchsheel Park.
Her creative repertoire includes figurative and abstract paintings in acrylic – inspired by the sights and sounds of India. Texture is a significant element in her work, along with the brilliant use of colours.
The paintings include traditional scenes – mostly women in villages decked in their finery – and the country’s natural wealth.
“A holiday in India in 2005 changed everything for me. I was spellbound by this country and quickly came alive to its sounds, colour and contradictions. India’s myriad colours left me fascinated and numb all at once,” the artist said. Kirstin is a lawyer by training.